Acer founder Stan Shih has dismissed the ultrabooks and tablet PCs are both short-term fads and asked for the notebook supply chain to come out with more value-added products through innovation. Apple achieved success with iPad through its outside-the-box thinking, which is an attitude that all notebook players should learn, he told Digitimes.

But Shih pointed out that PCs are the base of the IT industry and tablet PCs are also developed from the base. Therefore, in the future, products will still need to go through the PC platform to create even more add-on value.

Acer is about to release a 7-inch tablet PC, which is priced less than $345 and Shih thinks that consumers want products with low price and convenience. Currently, the competition within the tablet PC market is still on track for positive development, he said.

The statement will be news to former Acer CEO and President Gianfranco Lanci who was forced to leave the company when the board felt he had not done enough to take advantage of the push to tablets and mobile. Looks like the outfit might have gotten rid of a CEO who actually did see the importance of tablets and the “mobile boom” and thought there was no need to waste money on it.