Acer Australia: Google Apps resellers should try hardware

In yet another sign of the cloud shaking up the Australian channel, Acer has signed a Google Enterprise partner to resell its hardware.

In a bid to push Chromebooks in Australia, the hardware vendor has partnered with Melbourne Google Premiere Enterprise Partner BluePoint, to resell Acer's new C720P Chromebook.

It is the first time in Australia that Acer has brought on board a Google Enteprise partner as a hardware reseller, Acer commercial client products head Daniel Goffredo told CRN.

"Our channel is actually is expanding," he said. "It's exciting because it's bringing in software vendors to the hardware side."

In Goffredo's view, the appeal is that software partners have "more of an intimate relationship" with customers - something that no doubt helps as Acer continues to acquaint the local market with a device that doesn't run Windows or iOS.

Acer's move to make software partners part of its hardware channel comes as it rolls out its latest Chromebook, the touchscreen model called the C720P.

Goffredo said Acer has sold 4,000 Chromebooks in the last three months. The education market is the main adopter - in particular Catholic schools like Sacred Heart Junior College with 600 devices.

Acer also has hopes the Chromebook will find a market in business. Goffredo argued that the relatively affordable price - the new C720p Chromebook starts at $449 - will appeal to companies wanting affordable hardware for short term projects.

"We're seeing a lot of larger enterprises testing the waters and running down the lines of a few units inside their company."

Goffredo said Woolworths had been evaluating Acer's C720 Chromebook. He said "in the next two months we'll be deploying 500 into an enterprise customer," but couldn't reveal the name of the company.