Quanta's CEO quits: Company to merge with Hon Hai?

The personal computer world just never stops changing. In addition to Acer's buyout announcement involving Gateway, Inc. (NYSE: GTW), Quanta Computer -- the world's largest notebook computer contract manufacturer -- has just lost its CEO. Quanta, which makes notebook computers for such names as Dell, Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) and Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), witnessed the weekend resignation of CEO Michael Wang, which leaves quite a few questions unanswered in the personal computer space. Quanta is not a name known to many consumers, but the company has in many ways been responsible for the multi-billion dollar transition from desktop computers to notebook computers over the last few years.

Is Quanta about to be sold to Hon Hai Precision, which is Taiwan's largest electronics conglomerate and the world's largest contract manufacturer? Possibly, and this recent move may indeed signal what lies just ahead. Former CEO Wang was in disagreement with the company's co-founder (Barry Lam) over the strategic direction of Quanta, which no doubt revolved around the rumored impending sale of the company.

Hon Hai may be known better by the fact that it makes Apple's iPods. However, the one large electronics contracting segment it is weak in is notebook computer manufacturing. With notebooks displacing traditional desktop computer units as the PC of choice for a majority of consumers (and businesses as well), having a strong presence here would seem natural for the largest electronics contract manufacturer in the world.