Acer Finally Unveils Aspire S3 Ultrabook
Acer officially announced its first ultrabook, the Aspire S3, on Friday during the IFA show in Berlin.
Friday during the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, Acer finally revealed its Aspire S3 ultrabook to the public. As previously noted, it will sport a 13.3-inch ultra-thin HD LED display and a super-lightweight, high-density battery delivering up to 7 hours of juice. More importantly, it will measure just 0.507-inches thin and weigh less than 3 lbs.
"The Aspire S3 is truly designed to meet notebook users' needs, combining essential features of the smartphone and tablet PC, such as fast startup and Internet connectivity, with long battery life," said Campbell Kan, president of Personal Computer Global Operations, Acer Inc. "Matched with its slim form, the Aspire S3 will provide a fresh experience and set a major milestone in the history of Acer's notebook development."
Outside the ultrabook design, Acer is heavily pushing the Aspire S3's Acer Green Instant On and Acer Instant Connect features. On the Green Instant On front, the device will resume in 1.5 seconds if it's been in Sleep mode for less than 30 minutes. If the ultrabook has been in Deep Sleep, then it will resume in 6 seconds. Acer said the unit enters a deep sleep state after 30 minutes of no activity, and is part of the battery-saving measures that allows Acer to provide up to 50 days battery life. As for the Acer Instant Connect feature, the company claims the ultrabook can access the Internet in just 2.5 seconds.
With all that out of the way, here are some juicy specs to nibble on, broken down into an easy-to-read list:
- Choice of 2nd-generation Core i3, i5, i7 ultra-low voltage CPUs
- 13.3-inch glossy coated HD LED display with a native resolution of 1366 x 768
- Two USB 2.0 ports and an HDMI-out port, all three full-sized and located on the back
- Choice of a 240 GB SSD model, or a hybrid 320/500 GB HDD + 20 GB SSD (cache config)
- Up to 7 hours of battery life for the SSD-only model, and up to 6 hours for the HDD + SSD versions
- A 2-in-1 card reader that supports SD Cards and MultiMediaCards
- Integrated Acer Crystal Eye 1.3MP camera and microphone
- Acer InviLink Nplify 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED
- Bluetooth 4.0 + HSR
- Dolby Home Theater v4, combo audio jack
- Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional
- Magnesium-Aluminum alloy chassis and a lid with a fingerprint-free metal finish
- Full-size Acer FineTip chiclet keyboard
"The Aspire S3 features a vent-free bottom so the notebook rests comfortably on the user's lap," the company said Friday. "Warm components are smartly placed away from the palmrest and touchpad area, so users won't feel any heat discomfort. Further innovation is offered via a new airflow design that dissipates warm air from the rear of the notebook, preventing air from blowing towards the user's hands. Finally, the fan motor is optimized to enhance efficiency and lower power consumption to help increase system battery life."
The Aspire S3 ultrabook will start to roll out in select regions in September and ramp-up in October, priced between €799 and €1199. Acer does have plans to introduce the product to the U.S. market, but Acer isn't announcing pricing, specs or availability until later on at an unspecified date.
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Apple's lawyer are about to get unleashed...
is it THAT difficult to make a thin lappy that looks original?
a USB 3 port would come in handy
Am I just blind, or does it not say how much RAM it has?
gpu?
Too expensive no matter what GPU or how much RAM it has.
gpu?
since the whole thing being pushed by Intel, what other GPU might there be? HD2000 i guess...
don't expect to game guys. haha. looks good though. I am somewhat surprised that a productivity laptop has 2 bays (good thing). Though I do wonder where they could have moved the warmer components so you don't feel the heat considering it's .5" thick. Hopefully it won't burn your leg off like some of my friends' Mac Books do
I'm already sick of the word Ultrabook.
i don't want a 0.5 inch thick laptop. i want a good all-rounder, a 14" i5 with 16 hours web surfing battery life. i don't care if the battery bulges out. and "Ultrabook" is a ridiculous name. it's a thin notebook!
I'm already sick of the word Ultrabook.
How is this anything new who really cares about it size.
1. its a weaker laptop then what can be bought today for 1000$
2 people who are looking for small and portable are going to buy a tablet not this. Just a smaller laptop thats not worth the money. And you can still get a cheaper laptop then this and still have the same or better power consumption then this.
+1 For Acer
-1 for Intel(NOT A NEW CONCEPT)
is it THAT difficult to make a thin laptop that looks original?
yes it is. The reason why the thin laptops look rather uncreative is because they are using standard components that can be had cheaply.
If a company was to use an original design that is unique, they would have to have custom components created which will increase cost as they will be the only company ordering the parts. But if you go with more standardized components that are being used by 50 other companies, then the production volume of those components will so high that the cost will be far lower.
The insane price tag is due to these companies wanting to make huge profits from early adopters.
799~1199 Euro translates to $1100~$1650CAD so this is going to be hella expensive.
a USB 3 port would come in handy
It would, they're already over $1000 mark as it is.
Am I just blind, or does it not say how much RAM it has?
Relax, they haven't
since the whole thing being pushed by Intel, what other GPU might there be? HD2000 i guess...
It'll be HD 3000 and greater (once Ivy comes out). I don't think mobile Intel APUs have HD 2000 on them, they've saved that junk for desktop users. But honestly, it's not a gaming laptop, it's for 2D work. HD 3000 is more than enough IMO (ok, maybe not pro vid editing). People tend to forget that laptops with CPU graphics did 2D fine too, though i think the older ones struggled with HD vids.
i don't want a 0.5 inch thick laptop. i want a good all-rounder, a 14" i5 with 16 hours web surfing battery life. i don't care if the battery bulges out. and "Ultrabook" is a ridiculous name. it's a thin notebook!
yeah i wished they'd drop the name ultrabook, but well, it's marketing really. Instead of getting people to say "thin notebook sponsored by intel" they say ultrabook.
I'd like a powerful ultra-portable though, much easier to carry around. Lack of an HDD, seperate gpu and a low-power APU will make these things run much cooler too. Low power means longer battery life. But again, i already have a desktop, so the only reason i'd want a notebook is work.
799~1199 Euro translates to $1100~$1650CAD so this is going to be hella expensive.
Electronics get more expensive when they're imported to India, so i'm really freaking out on the prices here (GTX580=$650 here!). Having said that, acer is well established here so maybe they'll hold the lid on the pricing...though honestly i'm not even planning to buy right now so can't care too much
It would, they're already over $1000 mark as it is.Relax, they haven't It'll be HD 3000 and greater (once Ivy comes out). I don't think mobile Intel APUs have HD 2000 on them, they've saved that junk for desktop users. But honestly, it's not a gaming laptop, it's for 2D work. HD 3000 is more than enough IMO (ok, maybe not pro vid editing). People tend to forget that laptops with CPU graphics did 2D fine too, though i think the older ones struggled with HD vids.yeah i wished they'd drop the name ultrabook, but well, it's marketing really. Instead of getting people to say "thin notebook sponsored by intel" they say ultrabook. I'd like a powerful ultra-portable though, much easier to carry around. Lack of an HDD, seperate gpu and a low-power APU will make these things run much cooler too. Low power means longer battery life. But again, i already have a desktop, so the only reason i'd want a notebook is work.Electronics get more expensive when they're imported to India, so i'm really freaking out on the prices here (GTX580=$650 here!). Having said that, acer is well established here so maybe they'll hold the lid on the pricing...though honestly i'm not even planning to buy right now so can't care too much
Since when Intel has stated that his CPU'S ARE APU'S ? Unbelievable what people says...
Probably an assumption (without understanding what it means)? Based on the fact that it too have graphic core on it.
Can we have an ultrabook based on Fusion please, so we can have some decent gaming?
Problem is, the concept is conceived by Intel. For it to happen you'll need AMD to come up with something similar.
Too expensive no matter what GPU or how much RAM it has.
No it isn't when compared to the competition..
799~1199 Euro translates to $1100~$1650CAD so this is going to be hella expensive.
Does the cheapest macbook air 11" in Canada costs $1334 CAD? No it doesn't, it costs 999$ but using your line of reasoning it should costs $1334 CAD because the macbook air in Italy and most of Europe costs 949€. The top of the line macbook air 13" in Europe costs 1499€ which equates to $2107 CAD yet in Canada the price is $1599 CAD. Please stop comparing prices from different countries.
It would, they're already over $1000 mark as it is.
Acer as yet to release the pricing in any country that uses Dollar as currency. So I fail to see how you can say they're over the 1000$ mark.
Since when Intel has stated that his CPU'S ARE APU'S ? Unbelievable what people says...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accel [...] ssing_unit
Acer as yet to release the pricing in any country that uses Dollar as currency. So I fail to see how you can say they're over the 1000$ mark.
Was just converting directly, like eddieroolz was doing, and my country will have Europe-like pricing too. Bringing it under the $1000 mark globally is what they should be aiming at. Don't say stuff like Intel is targeting the US markets only, it doesn't make sense.
Since when Intel has stated that his CPU'S ARE APU'S ? Unbelievable what people says...
Oh, and:
http://www.intel.com/content/www/u [...] .html.html
This is what I like about PC computers vs Apple. Choices. You can get a large capacity hard drive instead of a SSD drive. I bet you can even upgrade the SSD drive if you want instead of Apples special SSD connections. I have a 2010 Macbook Air and believe me even the 256GB can seem pretty small after a while. I would gladly trade a SSD for a 500 GB fast hard drive any day. After all the storage drive is just about loading speed of programs anyway.
so what does the razer blade called? a hyperbook???
I'm glad it won't be limited to the ugly white/silver Apple-ish design the earlier info suggested. I don't like apple's designs, and even if I did I'd probably be buying apple instead.
Acer brand name products are just another el cheapo made product for the OEM market. Nothing excites me about this brand at all. I will treat this brand name along with Samsung & HP as the vermin that you know they are. A pest that you don't want or else once you have it,you'll end up getting more problems & eventually also have to get the IT exterminator a call.
Oh, and:http://www.intel.com/content/www/u [...] .html.html
okey but Intel has never stated its CPU's as one APU. Even when it just released its new line of hd integrated graphics on same die.
Another craptastic concept made by intel.
Awesome, worthless intel 3000 gpu. Even a low end A4 dual core Fusion has better graphics, and since this "crapbooks" do not have blazing fast cpu's, and AMD APU is a better option.
It's the same with low end ultrabooks/netbooks, everyone buys C-50/E-350, Atom is dead now. Next year with Trinity will do the same to this "crap/ultrabooks".
I for one am really happy that Intel are pushing this idea as I would love a super thin laptop to use while on the way to/from work. It doesnt need to render movies or play games because lets face, that's what my i7 desktop is for and who wants to play games on a 13" screen & trackpad..?
I want something super light that doesnt give me shoulder cramps, lasts for weeks on standby and can take 6 ish hours of light use a day and doesn't use OSX.
No USB3!