The NetBook appears to be evolving to an even more
powerful, portable workhorse, with the next generation of Acer's
Aspire family.
Details of a forthcoming Acer Aspire NetBook have been leaked on
the internet. Blogger "Macles" posted a
blog about Acer's Aspire
Timeline 1810T.
The device which boasts a more powerful processor than the Atom
used on current NetBooks, and will ship with 4 Gbytes of memory.
According to the blog posting, the Acer will ship with a 1.4 GHz
Intel SU3500 processor, which could double performance, compared to
the Atom chip.
The Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T uses the Intel GS45 Express
chipset, with integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics core and
supports high definition video. It ancludes Bluetooth and an
optical digital audio connection. The device will ship with Windows
Vista, but users will be able to upgrade to Windows 7 for free,
Macles said.
NetBooks are growing rapidly in popularlity. According to
analyst IDC, EMEA mini-notebook shipments reached 3.6 million
units, in line with expectations, representing 20% of total
portable sales and 30% of consumer portables in EMEA in 4Q08.
With Sony joining in with its own Netbook, experts are
anticipating a variant from Apple, which has the potential to
shake-up the market.