Rather than forcing people down the path of relying on tablets to consume content and PC systems to create it, Acer CEO JT Wang says people increasingly want to have a touch-and-type experience using a single device that makes it easy to switch back and forth between consuming and creating content.
Aiming squarely at Apple, Wang, at the launch of a series of notebooks and tablet devices today, said people are increasingly tired of being locked into a tablet platform that limits not only their form factor choices, but also the price they have to pay for the device.
As evidence of the desire for a new approach that combines touch and type, Wang says that Acer will double the number of Windows 8 systems it will ship in the second quarter compared to the first quarter, despite all the doom and gloom being espoused over declining PC systems.
The company today unveiled a 15.6-inch Acer R7 notebook priced at $999 that features a full HD 1920×1080 touch screen that makes use of an “Ezel Hinge” that moves the display forward and into different positions, including tablet mode, and a repositioned keyboard.
The Aspire P3, meanwhile, is a convertible tablet PC that can be configured with Intel i3 or i5 processors and a new family of lightweight V5 and V7 series of ultrabooks. In addition, Acer unveiled the Iconia A1 7.9-inch tablet featuring new display technology that makes working with a tablet that size more practical. According to Acer, the $168 tablet runs Google Android and has a battery life of up to eight hours.
With a battle on for the hearts and minds of end users, there is a debate raging over just how many devices the average end user practically needs to carry and ultimately ask IT organizations to support to one degree or another. Each individual organization will have to resolve that debate for themselves, but from a traditional PC perspective, it looks like companies such as Acer are just beginning to put up a meaningful fight.
