By Star Chang, posted Jan 29, 2013 at 6:08 AM, 385 views,

Acer Sees Success in Google Chromebooks, Gripe on Microsoft Windows 8

Acer’s Chromebooks have accounted for 5 percent to 10 percent of U.S. shipments since being released in US last November. The Taiwanese computer maker currently only offers one Chromebook model. The C7 is currently only selling through Google Play, Best Buy and TigerDirect.com, the WiFi-only model cost US$199. Google has focused on the use of Chromebooks, which is a browser-centric Linux-based operating system, in schools and large enterprises and positioned them as alternatives to more expensive Windows-based laptops. The search giant also argues that the cost of ownership of a ChromeOS device is significantly lower than for a standard Windows machines …

Laptops powered by Chrome OS have been niche products ever since the introduction in 2011. Acer brought the web-only laptops to a super-low price point last year. Chromebooks appear to be picking up a bit of steam, especially with another Chinese manufacturer Lenovo is hopping on board, and Acer’s Chromebook shipments are certainly a positive sign. Acer suffered two consecutive annual losses, after the release of Microsoft’s Windows 8 last quarter. Jim Wong, the president of Acer, has made some criticism on Microsoft, he told Bloomberg: “Windows 8 itself is still not successful, the whole market didn’t come back to growth after the Windows 8 launch, that’s a simple way to judge if it is successful or not.” Microsoft can’t yet compete with Chromebooks on price since both Windows 8 and Windows RT carry high licensing costs. Acer is now considering offering Chrome models in other developed markets.

SOURCE: Bloomberg via The Verge