Later events would prove that the “thing” they were working on with such passion would indeed be extraordinarily important. You may have heard of it—it’s a little item called a CPU. “I was convinced even then that this would be the key to a second industrial revolution.”
Things really took off for Multitech in 1981 when the company came out with the Micro-Professor 1 (MPF-1). Its low price and user friendliness rocked the international tech world. This was the first small computer from Taiwan to make an impact in the international market under its own brand name. Shih says, “The MPF-1 probably has had the longest life span of any computer product in the world.” In fact, it is still for sale in the UK even today.
Later the company entered the burgeoning personal computer market with the Micro-Professor 2, its first genuine PC. These were heady days at Acer—the new corporate name adopted in 1987—as the firm was really taking off. Shih explains that in addition to rapidly rising demand in the market plus access to capital, “Acer had the opportunity to pursue our dream of coming out with our own brand name because Taiwan enterprises have adaptability and resiliency, and they were willing to do whatever it took to meet our needs.”
Acer has been through two organizational restructurings in its history, and lately has embarked on a third. Although the firm has had great success with its own brand name in the past, in recent years it has been operating in the red. Shih says that the business model for the whole information and communications technology sector has been shifting, so it is necessary for Acer to redefine itself. He argues that this is a difficulty being faced by industries across Taiwan. “Our current reorganization is not for the benefit of Acer alone. We hope it will indicate a new direction for transformation that enterprises all across Taiwan can adopt as a model.”
“I hope that in the future Taiwan Panorama can transmit to the world the concept that Taiwan is a friend to the world. We can cooperate with other countries in many, many areas and become partners to creatively come up with new things and ideas of value.”
—Stan Shih
The original colleagues who started Acer together all those years ago.
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