Acer reports highest net profit in 27 quarters

Acer Inc has reported an after-tax profit of NT$1.45 billion for the quarter ended September 30, 2017, up 482 percent from the NT$249 million reported in the same period last year, and its highest net profit in the last 27 quarters.

The Taiwanese corporation also saw an increase of 3.4 percent in revenue from NT$58.6 billion in Q3 2016 to AU$60.6 billion in Q3 2017, while operating income went up by 98 percent year on year from NT$471 million to NT$933 million.

Hardware products accounted for NT$56.8 billion of Acer's total quarterly revenue, up from NT$55.3 billion reported in the previous corresponding period. 38 percent of its hardware revenue was generated from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), 33 percent from Pan Asia Pacific, and 29 percent from Pan America.

Its most popular category of hardware products during Q3 2017 was notebook PCs, including the detachable 2-in-1 notebook PCs, which accounted for 67 percent of Acer's hardware revenue. This was followed by desktop PCs at 13 percent, while display products, including desktop monitors and projectors, accounted for 12 percent of the company's hardware revenue.

The company attributes its positive financial results to growth in gaming product revenue, which surged 168 percent year on year and contributed more than 10 percent to total revenue; Windows-based commercial notebook revenue, which grew by 40 percent year on year; and Chromebook revenue, which increased by 27 percent year on year.

New business revenue, including Acer's cloud and "e-business", also went up by 30 percent year on year.

In the nine months up to September 30, 2017, cash and cash equivalents stood at NT$27.5 billion, 25 percent lower than the NT$36.6 billion recorded in the previous corresponding period.

In August, the company unveiled a new all-black edition of its Windows 10 Switch 7, offering what was said to be a powerful competitor to Microsoft's Surface Pro.

The Switch 7 is a premium 2-in-1 that will be available in North America and Europe this December starting at $1,699 and €1,999, respectively

Acer did not reveal all details about the Switch 7 in August, but said it will feature Intel's 8th generation Core i7 CPU and Nvidia's GeForce MX150 graphics. It has a 13.5-inch display at a 2256 x 1504 resolution and comes with an embedded, battery-free Wacom stylus with 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity.

The company also in August unveiled its Swift 5 lightweight laptop, which similarly features Intel's latest Core i7 processor, but weighs 970g, compared to Switch 7, which weighs 1.13kg.

The Switch 5 also has a full HD IPS touchscreen and a backlit keyboard, and according to Acer, has an eight-hour battery life.

The device will be available in North America and Europe in December starting at $999 and €1,099, respectively.

The Spin 5 13-inch and 15-inch models have also been updated with new 8th generation Intel Core CPUs, and up to 16GB DDR4 RAM. The larger model can be configured with discrete Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 graphics.

The Acer Spin 5 became available in North America in September, with both models starting at $799. It also became available in Europe the same month, where the smaller model starts at €899, while larger model starts at €999.

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