CBE-Get to Know Acer

In an effort to increase the awareness of the partnership between Acer, PC Corp and the Calgary Board of Education, the following information is provided relative to Acer products that the CBE currently purchases.

For the past four years, Acer has been the manufacturer partner of choice for notebook computers at the Calgary Board of Education. This choice was based on Acer being the best overall value in a notebook on the market for the same features of any of the market leaders. Acer is a 'tier 1' manufacturer of notebooks, and as such, competes against the likes of HP, Dell, Lenovo and Toshiba. Indications are that Acer will be the 3rd largest manufacturer of notebooks by early 2007. Based on their experience as a reseller of product for a number of competing manufacturers, PC Corp believes that Acer products are performing as well, or better, than any other comparable brands. Additionally, Acer products are at a price point which has saved the CBE an estimated $500,000 during the past four years, based on RFP price comparisons and quantities purchased to date.

Acer is ranked among the world's top four branded PC vendors as a result of their ability to design easy, dependable IT solutions that empower people to reach their goals and enhance their lives. In 2000, Acer spun-off its manufacturing operation to focus on globally marketing its brand-name products: desktop and mobile PCs, servers, storage, displays, peripherals, and e-business solutions for business, government, education, and home users. Established in 1976, Acer Inc. employs 5,600 people supporting dealers and distributors in more than 100 countries. Revenues in 2005 reached US$9.7 billion.

October 2005 - After several months of being the top rated desktop replacement notebook on PC World's prestigious Top 15 listing, the TravelMate 8100 has now been elevated to a higher level by being named the Best Buy in this category by PC World. This is the fourth award won by the TM 8100 which continues the award-winning legacy that began with the TM 800 and continued with the TM 8000.

December 2005 - The TravelMate 4060 has been given the CRN Test Center "Recommended" award in the current issue.

Canada is the thirteenth country in which Acer has become the number one provider of mobile PC solutions. Acer is the industry-leading provider of notebook PCs across Europe, including holding the number one position in Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia and Slovakia. Overall, Acer is the number four worldwide provider of notebook PCs and has retained the number one position in Western Europe for the past six quarters.

Throughout the years, a number of factors including the acquisition of the notebook division of Texas Instruments, the decision to separate production activities in order to fully focus resources on sales and marketing, and the constant commitment to the research and development of solutions that make technology immediate and simple to use, have allowed Acer to leave its mark on the history of Information Technology while remaining dedicated to its long-term goal of breaking down the barriers between people and technology.

Four years ago, when it became difficult to purchase suitable notebook products from Compaq, the CBE made the decision to release an RFP with the intent to partner with a manufacturer that could provide the CBE with notebooks suitable to the education and administrative environments of the CBE. Analysis of response information received from qualifying manufacturers along with a rigorous product testing and evaluation process ended with the selection of Acer products obtaining the best overall rankings in all categories. Category considerations included product stability and availability for a full range of notebooks - from mobile to desktop replacement, technical design and componentry, stability and overall pricing and ability to react to the needs of the CBE. Additionally, it was desirable that the CBE partner with a manufacturer that had shown commitment to the environment.

Acer was able to demonstrate ability in all the areas of concern, and this fact, as well as Acer being the best priced notebook on the market for the same features of any of the market leaders, has made Acer the notebook manufacturer of choice for the Calgary Board of Education.

Across Canada, there are over 92 Educational institutes that currently deploy Acer products. A few include:

Richmond (BC) School District	University of Alberta
Grant MacEwan College	University of Calgary
Christ The Redeemer School	St. Mary’s University
Rundle College	University of Western Ontario
Lakeland College	University of British Columbia

By the nature of their use in a mobile environment, notebook computers are inherently more prone to failures than stationary desktop computers.

For the same features, Acer offers the best value in notebooks of any of the market leaders. Respondents to the CBE RFP for mobile products were asked to provide an array of products and product pricing. Evaluation and analysis of this data confirmed that Acer products provided significantly better value in almost all categories including price. Currently, the CBE has approved for purchase notebooks from two manufactures; Acer (Windows OS), and Apple (Mac OS). Historical price data for comparable product from these two manufacturers shows that Acer notebooks provide competitive price-point value.

Standard category notebook computer prices for the period August 2005 to August 2006.

PC Corp performs several value-add services to CBE clients, notably, the end-to-end inspection, software installation, enhanced warranty, delivery and setup associated with every purchase. Acer notebooks are inspected for defects, imaged with a standardized CBE operating system (OS) and desktop software, delivered and set up to the end users specifications by a certified technician. In addition to installing CBE OS images, PC Corp also assists in the creation of new CBE OS images and provides certification services to the CBE by testing all new notebooks to ensure they are compatible with current CBE OS images. Additionally, PC Corp warranties the notebook for any manufacturer defects for a period of 3 years, and is also able to facilitate simple notebook repairs in-house to help minimize down time for the end user.

There are many causes for equipment failure, but whatever the reasons, it always poses an inconvenience to the end user. In an effort to alleviate this, PC Corp has implemented a couple of important value-add services for CBE customers. Minimizing the length of time required for a notebook to be repaired is paramount, and to this end, PC Corp has arranged to be authorized to perform simple repairs in-house, which effectively cuts out several days of shipping time as well as the hassles of packaging equipment for shipping to a repair depot. The CBE is the only client in Canada that Acer has extended local coverage for. Additionally, where critical systems are impacted, PC Corp is able to provide a loaner Acer laptop while the end users notebook is being repaired.

Occasionally, although quite rare in PC Corp's experience, some electronic products are simply faulty and cannot be repaired. Unfortunately, there is no technology capable of identifying these devices prior to their sale and use. To protect their customers from being stuck with such a device, PC Corp has a Lemon-Aid Promise which simply states that, while under warranty, a new comparable Acer notebook will be provided if there have been 3 reported and confirmed* hardware failures within one calendar year. Additional information may be obtained by contacting a PC Corp sales representative or the PC Corp service department.

*Each failure must be logged with the CBE Help Desk and confirmed by PC Corp in order to qualify.