The 11.6” version of the V5 (AKA as the Aspire One in low-end version) will launch at an entry-level price of €499. There was talk of discreet graphics, Core CPU and optical drives but this only applies to larger models with 14 and 15” screens. There will be a V5 11.6” with Core CPUs though and later this year you can expect an update to Ivy Bridge.
It’s an interesting low-cost ultrathin option although we’re seeing a rather small battery and learning that there won’t be an SSD version. The Acer Aspire One will be targeted at the netbook market although with no Atom versions planned, it’s an indicator of price and not performance.
It’s a 15” workhorse of an Ultrabook for an interesting price. €799 starting point. Build quality seems reasonable and at 2KG it’s quite light for the size and features. A 1366×768 screen is a disappointment, a removable battery is an advantage.
Acer just launched an 11.6” ‘ultra-thin’ notebook that might interest some looking for Ultrabook alternatives. Pricing starts at €499 and there are options for Nvidia discreet graphics (GT640M,) but only in the larger 14 and 15” versions.
The 11.6” version is going to be targeted at two markets. The netbook market will receive a low-cost ‘Aspire One’ version of this with Pentium or Celeron CPUs (no Atom version) but there will be a V5 version with Core CPUs. Target weight for the 11” version is 1.4KG. Launch is expected in Q2 but there’s talk of upgraded versions with Ivy Bridge versions later in the year. The screen resolution for the 11.6” version will be 1366×768
Showing the motorised port access, the ports and a quick look around the device. The lighting quality was terrible at the launch event but we did what we could. Enjoy the video and look out for a better hands-on from the floor at CES over the next week.
One of Acer’s Middle East country managers might have just let-slip the timeline for the next generation of Ultrabooks with a statement to press that a “slightly redesigned” Acer Ultrabook will be launched with a “new platform from Intel” early next year.
The timeline beats estimates that Ivy Bridge Ultrabooks may not appear until the 2nd-half of the year.
“Acer… plans to launch the second generation of Aspire S3 early next year that is expected to help double its sales, Acer Middle East country manager Grigory Nizovsky said.”
“I think in April next year we are having a new slightly redesigned version of S3 with slight adjustment in outlook,”
If this is the case, expect a range of phase-2 Ultrabook launches in April 2012 although availability still could drag on into Q3 if Ivy Bridge production doesn’t ramp up quickly enough.
Acer’s Jim Wong has told media in Taiwan that Ultrabooks are on track and prices will fall, potentially to $499 in 2013.
Acer had planned to ship, that’s ship, 250000 to 300000 units of the Acer Aspire S3 this year and expect to achieve that target. It’s a slightly veiled shout of confidence to the media but even shipping a third of a million devices requires a lot of risk-taking and investment.
We’ve asked Intel about this before and they were rather coy about giving us an answer. If Ultrabooks take-over where tablets can’t reach and if Ultrabooks, or at least laptops running the Core CPU contain the power to do everything the average user wants, why would customers bother upgrading the old box in the corner?
“It’s possible” was the only answer we got at IDF last month but PCR-Online got a more detailed answer.
