World number four PC maker Acer reportedly expects a return to profit this year after write downs and poor demand pushed it into the red in 2012.
Acer president Jim Wong admitted the company had underestimated the potential of tablet computers, a trend which dragged down laptop sales, according to an article by Austrian magazine Format cited by Reuters.
"In the last two years, we have put very much energy into the development of new tablets, notebooks and smartphones. We are recovering," Wong said. This would include a range of recently launched touch-enabled Windows 8 tablets and laptops such as theand . In May, he had forecast a for its second quarter.
Wong added the company would "first of all make a profit again".
According to a Reuters analyst poll, Acer is expected to swing back to a net profit of NT$1.706 billion (US$57 million) in 2013 from a loss of NTT$2.910 billion (US$97 million) in 2012. It's second quarter results will be announced in August.