Michele Montecchio, the General Manager for Acer Middle East, speaks about the company’s focus on products, innovations, and partners

Tell us about Acer’s focus on the regional gaming market.
The large gaming portfolio that we offer our customers is a testament to its importance to us in the region. Given the incredible growth in the region’s gaming industry, our portfolio is also a showcase of how we listen to the requirements of our customers and design our products to address their needs. For example, we began our journey into gaming with desktops and notebooks but having analyzed our audience requirements, we’ve since added accessories, monitors, Planet9, and even a Predator energy drink.

We also have two sub-brands dedicated to gamers; Predator for hardcore gamers and Nitro for our casual/ enthusiastic gamers with specs customized to their needs. We also support the region’s gaming industry by organizing and sponsoring local gaming events like the Predator League and Intel Arabian Cup to engage and support the gaming community.

With Metaverse taking CenterStage, what sort of innovations has Acer brought to the table for today’s digital world?
We are watching this space very closely and have a lot of ideas, but they are currently in the incubation stage. Our first initiative in navigating the Metaverse space is our SpatialLabs range of products which includes the Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs. This incredible technology provides a 3D stereoscopic view without the hassle of connecting any wires or glasses – perfect for both gamers and creators.

How are hybrid workspaces evolving and how is Acer prepared to adapt its technologies and products to an ever-changing work environment?
Since the pandemic, many companies have adopted a hybrid working environment. However, even before the pandemic, our portfolio of devices offered unique solutions to people with different working conditions. Our range of docking stations, portable monitors, and connectors has only broadened post-pandemic.

Portability is a big focus of hybrid working. We’ve recently introduced our Swift Edge – the world’s lightest 16-inch OLED laptop, making it the ideal device for anyone moving between the office and home. Designed to maximize the productivity and creativity demands of the present-day hybrid workforce, the Swift Edge is powered by AMD Ryzen PRO 6000 Series and AMD Ryzen 6000 Series processors for fast performance, and it incorporates the Microsoft Pluton security processor to defend against increasingly sophisticated attacks. The Acer Swift Edge also features a 4K OLED display supporting 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and 500 nits peak brightness for cinema-grade visuals for showcasing any presentations.

Tell us about the innovations SpatialLabs series brings to the table.
The objective of SpatialLabs is to provide an experience that delivers intuitive interaction and an immersive sensation through technologies including advanced optical/display, sensory solutions, and the latest real-time rendering technologies. We are now able to achieve this experience through the combination of an eye-tracking solution, a stereoscopic 3D display, real-time rendering, and AI technologies in all our newly launched SpatialLabs products.

Creators can now edit their models or scenes in 2D on one display while viewing them side-by-side in real-time stereoscopic 3D on a SpatialLabs View monitor. Similarly, gamers can now enjoy and play the games in a 3D stereoscopic view without the hassle of connecting any wires or glasses, really bringing their gaming experience to life.

How are you evolving your channel partner initiatives to best align with the needs of your partners?
We work closely with our partners on a day-to-day basis; however, we also organise structured events. These provide us with the opportunity to sit down with our partners and review our joint approach to the market and also showcase our latest technologies to gather their feedback for the most effective launch. A great example of one of these events was our recent Acer Partner Week held at Emirates Towers where we had partners from across the region and different segments join us.