Acer bets big on Linux

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Acer is going to be putting Linux on a lot of its laptops and ultra-portables.

The rest of this little article from ITNews can be found in the following link.

http://www.itnews.com.au/News/77636,acer-bets-big-on-linux.aspx

 

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Hmmm, used to work for Acer. They have been supplying Linux for a number of years, although they never really pushed it. Many of the business desktop machines and a few laptops over the years could be purchased with XP or Linpus Linux. When I was still working there they started a service where if you purchased a new Acer machine with Windows (XP or Vista) and didn't want Windows, you could send your machine in to the UK service centre where Acer techs would remove all traces from your HDD and remove the license key sticker then refund you the cost of the Windows OS and return your machine blank and ready for you to install whatever. A good idea I think, not everyone wants Windows.

 

Here are some suggestions for Acer that will also help...

1. Stop filling your boxen with used pinball machine parts. Buy quality parts from reputable manufacturers.
2. Shared memory is a no-no. Put in a gorram video card with its own gorram memory.
3. Providing a recovery disc instead of making the customer burn their own would be nice. Actually providing an OS install disc would be nicer.
4. Hire someone for your tech department that speaks English fluently enough to be understood when the inevitable hardware failure occurs and we have to call you.

Sorry, but as someone who spends a lot of time cleaning up after their @#$% machines, it just looks to me like Acer has found another corner to cut, not that they're trying to improve the quality of their product or the customer experience. If the customer experience has been improved here, it's completely by accident.

 

The Acer business model is all about cost. How cheap can we get the parts. How cheap can we make the machines. How cheap can we sell them (and this is why they are getting big fast, they sell high spec kit for less than most other manufacturers). I don’t necessarily agree with their way of doing things, but it seems to work well for them. Their tech support call centre is in the UK, not sure who you spoke to. Better than most companies who have call centres in India and god knows where else.

 

Do Acer not have a call centre in Belfast?

 

The UK call centre used to be in Belfast, it moved to England 3 or 4 years ago. I think they still have an authorised service centre in Banbridge, they would have their own call centre.