November 16th, 2009
Report: Asus in talks with Toshiba to depose Acer as No. 3 laptop maker
A tiny item in a new report notes that Asus, popular for its Eee PC line of netbooks, is considering plans to acquire the notebook businesses of other companies to become the third-largest notebook vendor in 2011.
One considered target: Toshiba’s notebook business.
That’s according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report citing Jonney Shih, the company chairman, as detailed by DigiTimes.
The report says Asus has held discussions with Toshiba, but nothing is reportedly finalized yet.
Asus’ surge in popularity from little-known motherboard manufacturer to netbook king — quickly lost to Acer, the actual number three computer vendor behind HP and Dell — has been remarkable, but like the netbook crown, Asus is in serious competition with Acer, which bought Gateway and eMachines to take the Global No. 3 crown.
Toshiba’s notebook business makes a likely target, since that company’s never really put much effort behind its computers (as compared to its home theater and mobile groups). Toshiba is a trusted name, despite lacking popularity in the U.S.
Who else will Asus buy to beat Acer?
Andrew J. Nusca is an associate editor for ZDNet and SmartPlanet.
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| 11/16/09
