The Taiwanese PC maker has also told analysts that a full-year profit will be "impossible." Acer, which makes mid- to low-end consumer models, posted a net loss of $234 million in its second quarter vs. a $3.6 billion profit in Q2 2010. This was Acer's first loss in a decade, but sales had been falling for the last four consecutive quarters. Second-quarter revenues fell 23% compared to the year-ago period.
Acer fell from number two (next to Hewlett-Packard) in Q2 2010 to number five, in terms of global units, for Q2 2011, according to researcher Canalys. Overall shipments rose 17.9% during that time, though much of that growth came from Apple's iPad, which was included in the results. Apple went from number four to number two on that survey with a growth of 95.9% for the period. Nevertheless, Acer Chairman J.T. Wang downplayed the iPad's effect on sales. “The fever for tablets is going down and the notebook is regaining the interest of the consumer,” he said. Acer introduced its own tablet, the Iconia Tab A500, in April.