Portable PC shipments to cross 30 mn in '09: Acer

TAIPEI, TAIWAN: Acer Inc, the world's No. 2 PC brand, expects its shipments of portable PCs, which include notebooks and netbooks, to exceed 30 million units this year, chief executive Gianfranco Lanci said on Wednesday.

Lanci's comments come before Acer was due to hold its third quarter investor conference on Friday.

"We are seeing demand strong from all around, although there is weakness in eastern Europe," Lanci told reporters on the sidelines of an event organised by the economics ministry. "Of course, things are better than they were six months ago."

Acer expects its revenue to increase 25 in the fourth quarter compared to the year-ago quarter.

During the event, Acer Chairman J.T. Wang also told reporters he expected the company's shipments next year to outperform the overall market, while Lanci added that it aimed to be the No. 3 PC brand within the next two years in China.

Acer currently lags rivals such as Lenovo in the fast-growing Chinese market. In an interview with Reuters last week, Acer said it aimed to boost revenue by more than 70 per cent over the next three years, while maintaining margins.