PC industry is going through turbulent times and the effect can be seen on the companies. Acer, despite its strong position in netbook
market, announced that it would be revising its 2011 targets downward. The company reduced its tablet shipment target by good 50 percent. Acer was expected to sell 5 to 7 million tablets in the year, but now it is aiming for a much lower figure of 2.5 million to 3 million.
Acer's Iconia Tab is one of the better Android Tabs to hit the market and if the maker of this tablet is going to cut their outlook, then it makes us wonder about the future of Android tablets. Android is a certified success in smartphone segment but it has not been able to replicate the success in tablet market. Even the most successful Android tablets like Xoom and recently launched Asus Transformer had not been able to match the sales figure of iPad, let alone kill Apple Tablet. It is not just Acer, which has downgraded its outlook but other companies like Samsung and Motorola have also lowered their tablet sales targets.
Back to Acer, the company is currently undergoing massive corporate restructuring and it had impact on its sales potential as well. While slashing the targets, the company reiterated its faith in Android platform. Acer chairman JT Wang also restated that eventually open system will prevail over closed system aka Apple. Industry experts are forecasting softer demand for PCs in the second half of the year.
Acer has already shipped 800,000 tablets and has launched a new 7-inch tablet. The company is looking to have similar shipment numbers in the third quarter as well, though analysts were expecting the numbers to be picked up during the quarter.