Acer launches Aspire one mini-laptop

Acer sets bold target for sales of new mini-laptop despite competition from a growing number of rivals in a market jump-started by Asustek's popular Eee PC.

By Dan Nystedt, IDG News Service
June 03, 2008

Coming to the market late with a new product doesn't phase Acer. The world's third largest PC vendor launched its new Aspire one mini-laptop on Tuesday, forecasting sales of up to 7 million units this year and 15 to 20 million next year. The new-mini laptop will compete with a growing number of rivals in a market jumpstarted by the popular Eee PC from Asustek Computer of Taiwan. Asustek  has only forecast sales of 5 million Eee PCs this year, and it's had a six-month head start over Acer. The new mini-laptop also faces fresh competition from several new models announced at Computex.

Companies believe the market for small laptops that have 7-inch to 10-inch screens, weigh less than 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds), and connect wirelessly to the Internet is catching fire. "This segment will be mainstream within the next few years," said J.T.  Wang, chairman of Acer, during a news conference in Taipei. His company believes the Aspire one, which will cost between $399 to $499, can attract a new kind of PC buyer, mainly people who want a low-cost, convenient mobile device they can use to surf the Internet from anywhere.

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