The famous brand Acer, the Taiwanese computer manufacturer, was not always called that.
It is one of the best-known brands in technology. In the country, it might be called 宏碁股份有限公司. In the rest of the world it is identified by these four letters: Acer. In 2016 it celebrated its 40th anniversary. But, if we know the weight of this Taiwanese company in technology, fewer people know the history of its name.
From Multitech to Acer
Acer wasn’t always called that. For ten years, the company carried another identity: Multitech. This is what he remembered the minisite launched by the group when it blew its four decades of existence. At that time, Multitech was engaged in the sale and promotion of microprocessors.
In 1982, Acer extends its activities beyond components: it launches its first 8-bit computer. His name ? The Microprofessor-II. Yes, it’s really a pun between microprocessor and professor. Over the years, several other devices were launched and the group, already present in the United States in the 1970s, also settled in Japan and Germany.
It was only in 1987 that the new identity of the group emerged: Multitech disappeared in favor of Acer. Officially, this name must show ” the development of the company towards globalisation “. But the reasons that led the group to keep this name rather than another are not explained. It would still be a reference to a Latin word, indicates Adventure joke.
« Maple, which is the Latin word meaning ‘fast, sharp, capable and easy’. Acer has also been translated as ‘sharp, greedy, severe and fierce’, and also has other strange connotations related to the word, mainly associated with maple. “, write our colleagues. It is true that the palm maple is called acer palmatum and is found in Taiwan. However, the reference to a connoted Latin word seems more plausible.
