Gateway Plans Gamer Notebooks

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.