Why the lack of Chromebooks in Acer’s recent press event is actually a good thing

A couple weeks ago, Acer held their regularly-scheduled press event – next@Acer – and there was a bunch of new tech shown off in the roughly one hour presentation. Notably, however, there was a distinct lack of Chrome OS hardware on display. As is customary, we knew about the Chromebook announcements that would be part of this event well before the actual event, so we were expecting a small segment of the keynote to be dedicated to the new Chromebooks Acer did, in fact, unveil as part of the event. As you’ll likely remember, there was nothing to be found.

While this has happened before, it was a strange occurrence to us and, thankfully, we had the ear of Acer’s COO – Jerry Kao – to ask him a bit about why that was. What we found out was both surprising and encouraging, and our interview with Jerry revealed more than just some answers around the lack of Chromebook hardware during the event. We took some time to discuss topics like Acer’s upcoming strategy around Chromebooks, how user variety plays an important roll in diversifying the chips we see in Acer’s Chromebooks, and why Acer is still bullish on the Chromebook market overall.

No Chromebooks on stage for a good reason

First up, let’s tackle that elephant in the room. If, like us, you were a little dismayed by the absence of Chromebooks during Acer’s well-crafted keynote, you weren’t alone. With knowledge of four new Chromebooks set to be unveiled via this press event, it was a bit of a head-scratcher when none of those new devices received even a small mention from the virtual stage.

Asking Jerry about this, it was made clear to that this move was not made because Chromebooks are unimportant to Acer. In fact, he told us that the main reasons for leaving Chromebooks out of the keynote had more to do with the maturity of the platform and high demand across the board. To Acer, Chromebooks are so central to the business that they don’t feel the need to make a lot of noise about them. Instead, press events like the one held in October are meant to trumpet new, emerging tech that the company is working on. These devices, according to Mr. Kao, have far less engagement and need attention drawn to them to help bolster sales in those categories.

Acer’s Chromebook strategy moving forward

With Chromebook sales over the past few years being what they are, we’ll concede Jerry’s point on visibility above. I’d highly doubt precious keynote time ever really helps sell a new Chromebook. But what about moving forward? With the market likely to cool down (it can’t grow like this forever), what is Acer planning as we move forward with Chromebook sales?

Jerry and his team highlighted a few notable strategies. First, diversity in chip offerings. Most notably, Acer employs Intel, AMD, Qualcomm and MediaTek in their offerings and it makes for a diverse set of Chromebooks. With chip shortages being a very real problem in the laptop industry, this diversity should help Acer maintain a more consistent delivery cycle for those looking to buy Chromebooks.

And speaking of those looking to buy, Acer is emphatic on serving the entire spectrum of the Chromebook market. From entry-level EDU to consumers to enterprise, Acer wants to keep a wide variety of devices to meet every need. As the company to first embrace the larger 15.6-inch form factor and the 17.3-inch screens in Chromebooks, Acer feels that the enhanced variety of chips and form factors across their Chromebook portfolio makes them a manufacturer that can adapt to nearly all users’ needs.

Where the market is going as a whole

When asked where he sees the market heading, the answer from Acer’s COO is an encouraging one, indeed. For Acer, the talk of a softening market doesn’t really fit with reality. Instead, the company is still seeing very strong demand for Chromebooks and are mainly concerned with continuing to keep up with inflated demand. Between the increase in work from home and learn from home adoption, there has been an increase in demand that seems to still be working in Acer’s favor at this point.

Asked about the headlines floating around the web that are indicative of a decline in Chromebook demand, Kao simply said they don’t see a softening of demand, but a shift in demand. Users are moving from smaller, 11.6-inch screens to larger 14/15-inch devices. They are shifting from entry-level EDU devices to mid-range or high-end Chromebooks geared more towards commercial and home use.

From this perspective, it’s a pretty encouraging picture being painted by one of the world’s leading Chromebook manufacturers. There’s no question Chromebooks play a massive roll in Acer’s overall portfolio, but to hear them talk about it, Chromebooks are front-and-center in their laptop strategy. Keynote or no keynote, that’s a really great sign for those of us who are fans of the platform.