First Ultrabook Arrives from Acer October 16 for $900
The first ultrabook is slated to arrive this Sunday, October 16, for $899.99 USD, and is already listed for pre-ordering on Amazon.
Monday various reports pointed to an Amazon listing that revealed the 13.3-inch Acer Aspire S3-951 as the first ultrabook to land in the States. According to the listing, the super-slim device will officially arrive on October 16 just under Intel's sub-$1000 target price point, costing $899.99 USD. Acer later backed up the listing with an official press release on Monday, announcing the ultrabook's arrival.
"This featherweight Ultrabook powers on instantly, connects to the Web in seconds and provides up to 50 days of stand-by time, or 6 hours of continuous usage," the company said Monday. "As slim and easy to carry as a magazine, it includes a powerful Intel Core i5 Processor, speedy solid state drive for quickly booting the operating system, roomy hard drive, and essential USB and HDMI ports."
According to the specs, the device sports a 13.3-inch HD widescreen CineClear LED-backlit display with a 1366 x 768 resolution, Intel's second-generation Core i5-2467M CPU clocked at 1.6 GHz, integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 128 MB of dedicated system memory and 4 GB of RAM. Windows 7 Home Premium is installed on a 20 GB SSD while an additional 320 GB 5200RPM hard drive is available for media and other file storage.
As for other features, the ultrabook provides a 2-in-1 card reader, 802.11 b/g/n connectivity, Bluetooth 4.0 + HS, a 1.3MP HD webcam (1280 x 1084), two USB 2.0 ports, one HDMI port with HDCP support, and a 3-cell Lithium polymer battery promising up to 8 hours. The device measures just half-an-inch at its thinnest and weighs a mere 2.98 pounds (depending on the configuration), and its overall dimensions are 12.59 inches by 8.52-inches by .51 to.68-inches, making it "one of the thinnest notebooks available on the market."
"The Acer Aspire Ultrabook also includes numerous design elements that keep the system running cool and efficiently," the company said. "All the heat generating components have been placed away from the palm rest and touchpad area, and warm air is funneled away from the user through the back of the Ultrabook. Venting throughout the keyboard also helps the system stay cool, and its vent-free bottom allows it to be used comfortably on a lap or pillow, without fear of obstructing air flow and overheating. In addition, airflow is optimized to enhance efficiency and lower power consumption to help increase system battery life."
Acer added that future models to be announced will round out its ultrabook line up, and will include Intel Core i7 or Core i3 Processors and larger capacity solid state drives. However consumers can pre-order the world's first ultrabook at Amazon for $899.99 USD by heading here.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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bennaye back_by_demandApple lawsuit in 3...2...1...Reply
Lawsuit for what? Copying their design in the most vague manner, or for copying the idea of a slimmer laptop than a netbook, or for making it look like a Macbook Air by Acer's virtuous clever placement of its logo where MBAir's apple is...oh wait, I see. Never mind.
Yeah...what back_by_demand said. -
lamorpa It look like this article is a cut and paste (no editing) from a couple of sources. I see that is has an HDMI port, and later in the article, I see it still has an HDMI port. It has a 6 hour battery life and an 8 hour battery life (alternating?), etc.Reply -
zanny So what, the new bandwagon in pc manufacturing lingo is "ultrabook"? After tablet and netbook from the last two years?Reply
Every 2 years your new laptop is an ultrabook. They get smaller for a reason.
Also, Apple tried the slim thing. I have tons of friends with macbooks, but none of them have an air. What are you going to do with a slim laptop, its not like you can fit it in your pocket.
Or are you just gonna slide it into manila envelopes? -
ojas 20GB SSD? i'm sure pricing it $100 more and throwing in a 64GB SSD would have been more sensible. I mean, the Crucial m4 64GB is going for $115 on newegg, and i'm sure the 20GB SSD they've used must be the Intel 311, which costs almost the same. Hell, even if it's not the Intel, this still would have cost at least $40. Just add 60-70 more! sub-$1000 and ultra useful! 20GB for win 7?! There'll be approx 18.6 GB usable anyway...bad decision acer...Reply
integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 128 MB of dedicated system memory and 4 GB of RAM.
i think you meant dedicated video (or graphics) memory? not a major mistake, but for the sake of accuracy... -
amk-aka-Phantom Wow. The specs suck big-time. Pathetic. I won't buy a laptop which is so underpowered just because it's a bit thinner and lighter than the rest.Reply
Then again, there's MacBook Air and lots of people like it... so I wouldn't be surprised if that sells.
bennayeor for making it look like a Macbook Air by Acer's virtuous clever placement of its logo where MBAir's apple is
+1, I also thought it's an Air for a second :lol:
Anyhow, most of the laptops on the market nowadays are utter garbage. Keyboards suck, specs are unbalanced (saw some Vaio laptops with 3GB of RAM... 1GB stick and 2GB stick... freakin' stupid! Or how about a Core i7 and integrated graphics?) and most look like garbage. I wish we could build our own laptops like we do with desktops!
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fancarolina Windows 7 on a 20gb SSD. You have got to be kidding me. Run Windows Update once and that drive us full.Reply -
fancarolina fancarolinaWindows 7 on a 20gb SSD. You have got to be kidding me. Run Windows Update once and that drive us full. Correction: Is full.Reply -
billybobser have to be a numpty to order a 20gb ssd.Reply
Even if you could hold an os on there, the fuller it is the slower it becomes. -
halcyon Reply9316360 said:Wow. The specs suck big-time. Pathetic. I won't buy a laptop which is so underpowered just because it's a bit thinner and lighter than the rest.
Then again, there's MacBook Air and lots of people like it... so I wouldn't be surprised if that sells.
+1, I also thought it's an Air for a second :lol:
Anyhow, most of the laptops on the market nowadays are utter garbage. Keyboards suck, specs are unbalanced (saw some Vaio laptops with 3GB of RAM... 1GB stick and 2GB stick... freakin' stupid! Or how about a Core i7 and integrated graphics?) and most look like garbage. I wish we could build our own laptops like we do with desktops!
Well, these ultrabooks don't seem like they're meant for gaming or marketed to the gaming enthusiast (THG's general population). Intel realized that the MacBook Air is selling really well and came up with copied this design idea. This example should be a peppy machine for Widows 7 & 8 for general MS Office-type work, web-use, and even a little Photoshop-type activity. ...just like the MacBook Air. If you've used a 2010/2011 MacBook Air you'll know its a pretty peppy machine given its specs. The 2008/2009 Airs were really underpowered for an enthusiast as far as I'm concerned...too slow...too many compromises...but my wife loves hers. So, if these non-Apple ultrabooks perform in the same class as the recent MacBook Airs they'd make a great 2nd machine or something for the executive that travels a lot. I have executives at my job that think 4lbs. is too much to carry...but 3lbs is okay (can't say I agree :pfff: ).
For those that hate the MacBook Air simply because its by Apple, these ultrabooks are an alternative.