We're pretty sure we've heard Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci say PC industry consolidation resulting in fewer players and lower component prices would be a good thing before, but he dressed it with a side of smackdown today: speaking to the New York Times, he said that Toshiba and Sony's PC businesses would be the first targets, since "the Japanese for sure are the weakest today." Ouch. It's especially harsh since Sony just broke down and released its first netbook this morning after claiming that the low-cost machines were a downward spiral, but that wasn't enough blood for Gianfranco: he also said that ASUS and Lenovo need to "think long and hard" about remaining independent companies. Yow -- sounds like someone's planning to do a little shopping, don't you think?Filed under: Desktops, LaptopsCE-Oh no he didn't! Part LXI: Acer chief says Japanese PC companies "the weakest today" originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email...

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