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Acer announces new notebooks to compete against Chromebook

Acer has announced its Switch V10 and Switch One 10, both being hybrid 10-inch notebooks with quad-core Intel processors.

Both models are quite similar. The Switch V 10 will be available in Q3 2016 with a $249 list price. The Switch One 10 will be available in July for a list price of $199.

Both models were revealed just before Computex Taipei, which is to be held from May 31 to June 4.

The Switch One 10 is expected to be used by children, as it is a cheaper and more versatile model. Both Switch PC’s have detachable multi-touch screens that latch onto the body of the computer with a magnetic hinge. The Switch V 10 is expected to have either 32 or 64 GB of storage, along a 500 GB of hard drive disk storage by attaching it to its keyboard.

Acer has announced its Switch V10 and Switch One 10, both being hybrid 10-inch notebooks with quad-core Intel processors. Photo credit: The Verge

The Switch V 10 is available in multiple colors (specifically Coral Red, Peacock Blue, Pearl White, Shale Black, and Navy Blue) and sports a USB-C port that allows for video output, data exchange, and as a power outlet. It has a fingerprint reader and its screen is coated with an antimicrobial agent that allows the surface to be protected against odor and bacteria are known to accumulate on touch screens.

As these models aimed at students and families, they have several interesting design features that are worth mentioning. For instance, the tablet-like screen can be joined with the keyboard in both directions, allowing for an “A” shape to be formed which allows the user to watch videos and movies on flat surfaces without holding the system.

Competition among budget notebooks

Acer’s decision to launch economic PCs comes from the fact that Chromebook computers have been paving their own ground in the market. In Q1 2016, Chromebooks were revealed to have surpassed Mac sales in the U.S. market. This is due to schools and students buying Chromebooks thanks to its relatively low price and high-performance features.

One of the features that sets Chrome OS apart from both Windows and Mac is the fact that there is very little malicious software that can affect it. Acer is trying to respond to this by releasing the aforementioned models, a decision that will create a decent rebound in PC sales as they are still a very popular operative system for standard users.

Budget-friendly models are always a safe alternative because most customers look for the lowest price. If the model with the lowest price is manufactured by a well-known company such as Acer, then the product will surely see a significant amount of sales. These models are pretty basic, as they are directed towards a specific audience.

For businessmen and developers, there are other high-end models to be released such as the TravelMate P2 Series, sporting a 14-inch display and a powerful NVIDIA GeForce 940M GPU. The TravelMate P2 Series is also available with a 15.6-inch display and fingerprint readers. It should be released in Q3 2016 with a list price of $599.

Source: Mobile Tech Review

Categories: Technology
Daniel Francis: Guitarist, destroyer of worlds. Columnist at Ultimate-Guitar.com
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