The initial success of Windows 8 will depend on North American market demand

Computer store news Acer chairman Wang Zhentang said on Wednesday that the initial success of Windows 8 (hereinafter referred to as "Win8") will depend on the North American market demand. Wang Zhentang said that although PC demand was affected by the European sovereign debt crisis, the release of Microsoft Win8 is expected to stimulate market demand in the second half of the year. However, Win8 PC is not expected to adopt entry-level prices, so its initial target market is developed economies, consumers in the region have stronger purchasing power, and users appreciate product innovation.

Wang Zhentang, Chairman of Acer,

He believes that North America is a key market and Win8 needs to succeed in the high-end PC market like Apple. Although Wang Zhentang did not express a conservative attitude towards Win8 in the European market, Taiwanese brands Acer and Asus have become more conservative about their respective strategies in the European market. In order to increase shipments and increase market share, the two companies are more focused on maintaining safe inventory levels and increasing profit margins. They are paying more attention to emerging markets in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region, patiently waiting for Europe's financial situation to become more stable, and then adopt a more radical strategy. Wang Zhentang pointed out that mainland China has been driving the growth of shipments in emerging markets, but after the end of the subsidy policy for the countryside, PC demand growth has slowed down. Competition in other parts of the Asia Pacific market will also become more intense. Acer expects its notebook shipments in the second quarter to be flat, and the performance in the third quarter will depend on the sales progress of Win8. On the other hand, in addition to the European and North American markets, Asus has also achieved strong growth in emerging markets. In the second quarter, ASUS's shipments in the Asia Pacific market increased by more than 30% year-on-year. The shipments in the Brazilian market doubled, and shipments in the mainland China market increased by 20%. According to supply chain sources, Microsoft is planning a release schedule for Win8. Volume shipments of notebooks based on the Win8 system will begin in September, but official sales will begin in October. Affected by component upgrades such as touch screens, the price of Win8 notebooks is not expected to cater to the entry-level market.