Pocket-Lint: Apple’s MacBook Air has started something of a war. Ultrabooks - the name being thrown around to describe manufacturers’ slender yet powerful, Windows OS-based laptops - are popping up left, right and centre at the moment.
The Acer Aspire S3 was one of the first to rear its head back at the IFA electronics trade show towards the latter half of 2011. And an attractive bit of kit we thought it was too.
Until now, Windows fans have had precious few alternatives to the MacBook Air. Sure, there's Samsung's Series 9, but just like the original Air, it's far from cheap. Since then, of course, Apple has cut the Air's starting price to $999, while the Windows options -- now marketed as Ultrabooks -- are about to mushroom in number. And so far, they're all starting in the (more reasonable) neighborhood of a thousand bucks, making these pinch-thin, long-lasting laptops accessible to the budget-conscious masses.
Engadget - And the Ultrabooks have arrived! We just got word that the Acer Aspire S3 will go on sale in the US and Canada this week for $899 -- making it the first pinch-thin, MacBook Air competitor to hit the market, landing ahead of competing models from Toshiba, Lenovo and ASUS. To recap, this 2.98-pound aluminum beaut has a 13.3-inch (1366 x 768) panel, is rated for six hours (or 50 standby days!) of battery life and promises to wake from sleep in a mere two seconds.
