Gateway, whose classic startup success story and moo-cow-fashioned packaging materials bolstered its position in the late 90's as a dominant computer manufacturer, just got bought by Taiwan-based Acer for $710 million. That means the third-largest PC maker is now Acer. Can't say that we would've ever predicted that back when Gateway was flying so high, making acquisitions of its own, and experimenting with its own retail distribution.

Not sure if the name Gateway will survive this one, but we suspect it will. Acer is just such a forgettable brand. Indeed, first reactions included, "They bought Gateway? I thought Acer made cheap laptops!" Add Gateway PCs to the list of things Acer makes, along with a marked increased in market share (and cheap laptops).