U.S. PC Companies Dead in 20 Years, says Acer

The computer selling landscape has changed considerably over the last 20 years. Some of the moves were impossible to predict, but Taiwanese founder of computer maker Acer thinks he has a pretty good idea of what will happen to his U.S. competitors within two decades' time – disappear.

Acer has surged its way up to being the second biggest seller of computers worldwide, something which is attributable to the company's low-priced offerings and netbooks. The price sensitivity of the consumer is what has Stan Shih, founder of Acer, confident in the Taiwanese company's survival over American rivals.

"The trend for low-priced computers will last for the coming years," said Shih, according to the AFP's quote of a Commercial Times newspaper interview. "But U.S. computer makers just don't know how to put such products on the market... US computer brands may disappear over the next 20 years, just like what happened to U.S. television brands."

What Shih is saying that Dell and HP, both leaders in the North American computer market, could be gone by 2030.

Does your crystal ball read the same as his? Maybe someone in Detroit can help answer.

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
  • dman3k
    Taiwan rules
    Reply
  • rooket
    Acer might want to come out with a better product first. Dell is far ahead of them. HP, Compaq hmmmm... those seem on par with Acer. I doubt as outsourced as all the mentioned companies are, being built in Malaysia and China with tech support in India that they will vanish in 20 years time.
    Reply
  • El_Capitan
    Wtf, how is this news? Someone from a rival company predicts another company will go under in 20 years, whoopty doo! There's not even a valid reason why except maybe the forgone conclusion that history repeats itself in the U.S. As a consumer, how is this relevant?

    I predict Tom's Hardware will come up with real news rather than pulling shit out of their ass. You could post that news item next.
    Reply
  • ominous prime
    That's about as likely as the world ending in 2012.
    Reply
  • Snipergod87
    I really doubt that that would happened businessed are not going to be replacing their desktops with all netbook's gamer's are going to use netbooks, people like having a large screen espically older folk you just arent going to get that with a netbook without an external monitor
    Reply
  • It started when IBM sold out to Lenovo. Then Gateway became part of Acer group. It would not surprise me to see another fall. Its like the television makers first they exported much of the manufacturing and now their basically dead. Considering how important consumer goods is to our economy. Its too bad most of it is made in other countries.
    Reply
  • batkerson
    Maybe Acer will just buy HP and Dell, like they did eMachines and Gateway. . .but only the name will be "dead". . .eventually.
    Reply
  • loomis86
    I think they will take over cell phones before they take over PCs. Motorola and Nokia aren't dead yet. After that I expect to see netbooks overrun by asian brands. Laptops and desktops will be the last hold outs. Components will still be american for a long long long time.
    Reply
  • eddieroolz
    Nah HP will be around for a while. Dell, I'm not sure so much :P
    Reply
  • edilee
    They all make junk so who really cares if they all go out. As long as you can get seperate components and build your own then what Dell,HP, ACER, etc are producing should be a non issue. You can't pay $500 for a complete PC (monitor, keyboard, mouse, and the PC) with a printer thrown in and think you have just gotten a great deal.

    I cannot tell you the amounts of PC I have had brought to me that the motherboard or some component on it. You get what you pay for.
    Reply