Gateway Plans Gamer Notebooks
By Geoff Duncan
November 05, 2007
Gateway's new owner Acer may want to revamp Gateway's notebook offerings, but the next set of notebooks will still be Gateway's in-house designs.
Gateway's new owner Acer has made no mystery that it plans to revamp the computer maker's notebook computer lineup, citing notebook computing as a growth sector for the industry, while Gateway's traditional sales strength has been in desktops. Last week, Acer president Gianfranco Lanci said the company plans a new line of notebooks for the first quarter of 2008; however, those first designs will be front Gateway's in-house team, rather than imported from Acer.
Nonetheless, according to Gateway's director of media relations Lisa Emard, Gateway plans to launch its first high-end notebook computer aimed at the high-performance gaming market during the first quarter of 2008, along with updated color schemes and feature sets for its C-, M-, T-, and P-series notebook lines. The company also plans to introduce a complete new consumer notebook line in time for the 2008 end-of-year holiday season; it's not clear whether that line will be the first Gateway product to see design and/or technical input from Acer.
Historically, Acer's business has been very strong in the notebook computer market; moving Gateway toward high-performance, gamer-centric systems would not only give its new U.S.-based subsidiary greater credibility in the marketplace, but also give the company entries in the high-end, high-margin gaming market.