Lin Yang, Mobile Revolution Buffets Taiwan PC Rivals. New York Times, Feb 25, 2013.
Quote:
(a) Acer "is expected to report a second straight annual loss in 2012
(b) "The two companies’ revenue numbers are similar: In the third quarter of 2012, Acer brought in 87.4 billion dollars in revenue, compared with 96 billion dollars for Asustek, according to Bloomberg data.
"But Asustek consistently plows about 3 percent of its annual revenue back into research and development, according to Mr. Shih. By comparison, Acer spent 0.7 percent of revenue on research and development in 2012, according to Henry Wang, an Acer spokesman.
"'Marketing is definitely an area we want to improve,'the 60-year-old Mr [Jonney] Shih said in an interview at the company's Taipei headquarters.
"He has also sought to become the brand's face, honing his stage presentation and making speeches in English. Asus remains the only top five global PC maker with no marketing chief. Instead, Mr Shih and his vice presidents oversee the area personally.