SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Acer Inc. posted a loss in the second quarter as one of the world's biggest personal computer makers struggled with a drop in sales caused by slumping global PC demand and strong competition from Apple Inc.'s iPad.
The Taiwan-based company said Wednesday that it lost 6.8 billion New Taiwan dollars ($236 million), or 2.57 New Taiwan dollars per share, in the second quarter. Revenue fell 32 percent to $102.1 billion New Taiwan dollars ($3.5 billion).
In the same period last year, the company posted a profit of 3.6 billion New Taiwan dollars and revenue of 150.2 billion New Taiwan dollars.
The company said its latest results were weighed down by charges to clear inventory and severance costs.
Acer is the fourth-largest PC maker worldwide, after Hewlett-Packard Co., Dell Inc. and Lenovo Group, according to market research firm IDC.