Acer unveils smart phone

The Taiwanese maker expects this and other devices to get the company into the top three in the Thai entry-level smart-phone market in the next couple of years.

ST Liew, president of Acer’s Smart Phone Business group, said the company’s strategy is to provide smart phones in selected markets, driven by the local team and tailoring computing experience into user experience. “We want to be the top three in the Thai market for entry-level smart phones priced less than Bt4,500 in the next two years. The entry-level market is the right market for us, as it is the fastest-growing segment in Thailand. The firm will also provide its new smart phone to the Indonesian market. Thailand and Indonesia are very important markets for us,” he said.

The Android-based smart phone with dual SIM capability comes with Acer Float features that allow users to have a multi-touch experience. It will be priced at around Bt2,590. The firm has a partnership with Advanced Info Service (AIS) to announce the new smart phone, with Thailand being the first country in the world in which it is being officially launched. Thailand was chosen due to its economy of scale and rapid economic growth, he said.

Nitipat Praweenwongwuthi, senior marketing manager of Acer Computer, said the company this year expected to deliver about 300,000 units in Thailand by the end of the year, with sales of around 50,000 Liquid Z3 smart phones in the next three months.

Liew added that Acer had started to focus on smart phones last year. The company shipped 450,000 units in the global market by the end of 2012, and expects shipments to reach 1 million units worldwide by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, IT market research company Canalys forecasts that this year’s global market for smart phones will be 946 million units, rising to 1.1 billion next year and 1.3 billion in 2016.