""That is a big achievement, and they have beaten the odds,"
says Roger L. Kay, a PC industry analyst and president of Endpoint
Technologies Associates, a consultancy. "Acer is a real comer."
"And so is Taiwan.
"Giants like Foxconn and Quanta have turned this island into a
manufacturing hub, producing most of the music players, video game
consoles, cellphones and computers bought by consumers and
businesses. But the companies that sell these products —
H.P., Dell, Apple and others — have put immense pressure on
these manufacturers to keep prices low.
"So business leaders and the Taiwanese government are urging
local companies to think bigger. As a result, many have set out to
become household names around the world, to nurture their software
businesses and to own more key intellectual property in
fast-growing parts of the technology industry."
