Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Acer revealed their new line-up of tablets and notebooks at an international launch conference in New York City last week Friday and offered the world a glimpse into their future strategy to increase global market share.
“For our current strategy, we are employing the factor of Duality – where Touch and Type will be the next new trend. In the near future, we will need to design User Interfaces that take full advantage of duality. Users desire to choose the platform they want, and Acer has chosen to design all kinds of design features to meet these consumer needs,” said Acer Chairman and CEO J.T. Wang during the press conference.
Coupled with their Duality strategy, Acer unveiled to the world a new notebook, a tablet and a convertible Ultrabook, as Wang said “We are enabling the user to explore their limits”.
He also added that “We have seen growth in our ranges, and we expect that to grow even further. With our new products, users will be able to explore new options to suit their needs.”
Acer’s new line-up
Taking on a three-prong approach to delivering what consumers need, Acer has covered their bases with a new products in the tablet, Ultrabook and notebook ranges – each delivering a different users experience.
“Computing as an experience is ever-growing. All our devices that we introduce will focus on the experience. The industry is also changing fast, and tablets have only be going for about three years, and segments are blurring and crossing over much faster. It’s changing from computer to computing,” said Acer’s Corporate President Jim Wong.
Aspire R7
In what is probably Acer’s most exciting new product, the R7 is a notebook with a Hinge Ezel on the screen, which means that it’s a traditional notebook bit with the functionality of having a 15’6-inch screen that can flip over, lie flat or float for sharing.
“Featuring a full HD 1920×1080 touch screen, the Aspire R7 was made for the new computing lifestyle, which increasingly combines touching and typing. With a repositioned keyboard and a revolutionary Ezel Hinge that moves the display forward and into different positions, the R7 makes the combination of touching the screen and using the keyboard more intuitive and natural,” Acer revealed during the introduction.
The Acer Aspire R7 lets consumers transform their notebook into the shape that best delivers an content experience based on their usage needs. With four modes of operation, the R7 can easily be used as a traditional notebook, a table top pad, a display, or switched into “Ezel” mode, allowing the screen to float over the keyboard at various angles.
It features a 39.6 cm (15.6”) Full HD 1920×1080 touchscreen display, Intel Core i5 processor, up to 12GB of memory, up to 1TB hard drive, or up to 256GB SSD and a full-size backlit keyboard. It also includes a volume control button, HDMI port, SD card reader, audio jacks, three USB ports, WiFi, Bluetooth and a convenient converter port supporting VGA, RJ45 and USB.
Aspire P3
In its Ultrabook segment, Acer is entering the new category of Ultrabook convertibles, with a new Intel Core i3 or i5 offering. The Ultrabook functions as a traditional notebook, but has a clip-off keyboard which transforms the device into a slate PC.
“It adds the many benefits of tablet with a design that allows the touch-screen display to be used in pad mode or detached from the keyboard-case. This gives Acer customers enhanced mobility as well as more ways to enjoy their device using touch for the latest apps, viewing photos, keeping in touch and having fun,” Wang said during the unveiling.
Endorsed by world-renowned DJ Tiesto, the Aspire P3 features a 29.5 cm (11.6”) HD display with IPS technology highlights, Intel Core i3 or Core i5 processors, Acer Crystal Eye HD front webcam captures video in 720p HD, features a 60GB or 120GB SSD and a longer battery life of up to six hours.
“Customers are moving to a touch-centric way of computing for most of their everyday tasks, such as web browsing, checking email, and entertainment,” said Oliver Ahrens, president, Acer Europe. “The new Acer Aspire P3 makes touch computing even more powerful by providing customers with the responsive performance, fast boot times, and long battery life they want in a mobile PC. Plus, the form factor of the Acer P3 adds the productivity to ensure all-day usefulness beyond the fun in tablet mode.”
Iconia A1
Acer is also venturing into the 8-inch tablet market, by offering consumers the Iconia A1 tablet. According to the company, it features better technology than previous tablet, also makes use of the IPS screen tech, and its battery can last for more than eight hours. Being a 8-inch, it easily fits into a user’s pocket as well as being comfortable when operating with one hand.
Acer added that the tablet will be able to come out of sleep mode by simply touching the screen with all five fingers, are pressing the screen with two thumbs. “Our tablet makes it easier for users to enjoy. The war is evolving in the tablet market, and that is why we launched the A1,” Wong added.
The tablet features a LED backlit display with IPS technology, a 170-degree viewing angle, 1024×768 resolution screen, 4:3 aspect ratio, new Touch WakeApp gestures, weighs 410 grams and measuring only 11.1 mm, and has a 5MP rear-facing camera which captures 1080p video at 30fps.
What makes the A1 more accessible to consumers, is that the WiFi version will be available at a starting price of $169.
All the products unveiled during the launch will be made available globally by 14 May.
“Acer started to look at breaking the barrier between computing. In the last 2-3 years, Acer has relooked at the way we do things, and redesigned a couple of features. Last year we looked at progressive designs, and new experience for users to enjoy. For our new products, we don’t like just tossing them out and seeing which ones stick. We look at experiences and betters their current design. We are breaking the barriers of technology, making technology to be enjoyed, and empower people by improving the design,” Wong concluded.
For a full gallery of images on Acer’s Global press conference, click here.
Charlie Fripp – Consumer Tech editor
