Acer announced today it will host a press event in New York City on April 29 that will likely focus on its new back-to-school computer line, but could include a wearable device or smartphone.
It was reported during International CES in January that Acer has a wearable device in its product pipeline, something it has been discussing rolling out for more than a year. In January an Acer executive said to expect some kind of wearable from the company in 2014. However, he did not give any type of time frame, but from past experience Acer loves to rollout some of its best new products in early spring.
"We are looking at wearable, I think every consumer company should be looking at wearable. Wearable isn't new ... it just hasn't exploded in the way that it should. But the opportunity's for billions of dollars' worth of industry," said ST Liew, president of the smartphone business group at Acer.
The Taiwanese company traditionally holds a major product roll out in New York at at this time of year. Last year the company launched a bevy of touchscreen devices using several innovative designs. These included hybrid tablet/laptops, Ultrabooks and tablets. So seeing a wearable at the event would not be a surprise.
Some of the issues Acer sees in developing a wearable device is designing in the right capabilities. Should it give up battery life for more processing power or should it be made to be simply charged through conductive technology.
The company has also discussed expanding its role in the smartphone category. It currently has its 6-inch Liquid S2 phablet on the market. Acer is selling its Liquid S2 in Europe and Asia, but in 2014 it will consider adding South America. There was no mention made of entering the North American market.
To some extent ignoring this region makes sense. While Acer sells a huge number of computers in the U.S., it is not known for its portable devices and this could prove a problem competing in a market filled with avid Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy owners. Lenovo has taken a similar course, becoming a huge presence in China and other parts of the world, but leaving the U.S. alone.
The S2 is a large device and Liew said it pushes the upper size boundaries of what can still be considered a smartphone, so with this segment of the smartphone market already in hand the company could look at coming out with something smaller.
