Acer has announced the activation of its cloud computing service platform AcerCloud worldwide. The platform crosses three major operating systems and the company expects to attract 3,000 hardcore users in 2-3 years, according to the company chairman JT Wang.

Acer president Jim Wong also estimates the service will create an end-user stickiness level of 8% in one year after the launch and surpassing 25% in three years.

In 2013, Acer will expand its staff number by 20% and that will be mainly in the AcerCloud team and R&D department. Acer currently has about 90 employees in AcerCloud team and 1,000 in R&D.

Impacted by tablets and smartphones as well as seasonal factors, Acer's PC shipments in the first quarter of 2013 are expected to drop 10-15% sequentially, but the volume for 2013 is still estimated to grow slightly on year. For January, Acer announced consolidated revenues of NT$26.34 billion (US$887.14 million), down 15.56% on year.