Acer Swallows Gateway, Gallium Discovered (PCGH-Retro, August 27)

… 1875: Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran fills the gap at atomic number 31 in the periodic table of elements. On this August 27th, he discovers tiny traces of a new element, which he calls gallium, using spectral analysis. Today, gallium arsenide is mainly used in the manufacture of semiconductors. According to Wikipedia, up to 95 percent of the global production of this element is used for processors and the like, which should also clarify the connection to PCGH-Retro.

… 2004: After seventeen apparently not very profitable business years, the game publisher and developer Acclaim Entertainment has to close its doors. For the PC, Acclaim has released titles such as the 3D shooter Forsaken, the miniature racing game Re-Volt, and the dinosaur shooters Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and Turok 2: Seeds of Evil. In addition, Acclaim was known for its console and sports games and license conversions.

… 2007: Acer announces that it intends to take over the PC manufacturer and direct competitor Gateway (now without 2000). For a total of 710 million US dollars, Acer wants to rise to become the third largest PC manufacturer in the world behind HP and Dell and leave its competitor Lenovo behind. The price is a real bargain as Gateway has been financially weak for some time and the share price is now $1.21 – up from $82.50 at the end of 1999. From this point of view Acer, which is offering a 57 percent premium ($1.57) per share, Gateway at around 2 percent of the top price.