Acer Unveils Aspire S5: Will the ‘World's Thinnest Ultrabook’ Take on Apple's Mac Book Air?

Acer Inc. has set the scene for tough competition at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, by unveiling Sunday its newest model of Windows-based Ultrabook, the Aspire S5, which Acer claims is the world's thinnest Ultrabook.

According to AFP, analyst Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies considers Aspire S5 as the first viable Windows equivalent of popular MacBook Air laptops.

It looks like the thinnest and lightest, and it sets the bar for the rest of the Ultrabook vendors, Bajarin has said in a statement.

Bajarin feels the Windows-based Aspire S5 will not particularly challenge just the MacBook Air, the pioneer laptop that generated the first wave of Ultrabooks into the market. The analyst says the real battle lies with all the other vendors coming out with Windows Ultrabooks.

Apple will still do great with MacBook Air, but in the Windows world it is great news that five years after Apple set the tone the industry is finally getting something equal, says Bajarin.

The ultra-slim machine is only 15 mm at its thickest point and weighs just shy of 1.35kg. In comparison, the 13.3-inch MacBook Air measures 17.27 mm at its thickest point but weighs almost the same as the Aspire S5.

The S5 sports a brilliant 13.3-inch LCD display, an Onyx Black brushed magnesium-alloy cover, and a chiclet keyboard equipped with a palm rest. Although Acer has not specified the processor, PC Magazine touts that the S5 is powered by an Intel Core i-series processor, with the inclusion of a Thunderbolt interface.

In addition, the device includes solid-state drive (SSD) for storage, Dolby Home Theater sound and long battery life that can be extended up to several weeks.

The S5 is said to feature a cache of performance tools, such as the instant-resume functionality that brings the computer back from sleep mode in 1.5 seconds. The device uses Acer Always Connect, which lets users manage data on their computers even when the machine is asleep or hibernating.

The S5 also boasts a remote startup feature wherein in the S5 can be woken up from a smartphone or any other remote device in order to view documents, movies or other files.

A top-up detail is the addition of a new 'MagicFlip' key hidden right below the S5's hinge. The panel, when pressed, gives access to a handful of ports, including HDMI, USB and Thunderbolt.

The Taiwan-based company has said it will begin shipping Acer Aspire 5 models in the second quarter of 2012. However, Price details are not disclosed.

J.T. Wang has said that four more models of Ultrabook are set to debut by the second quarter this year. We are committed to evolving this technology, he was quoted as saying by the AFP.

Wang estimated that Ultrabooks would make up at least 35 percent of the Acer product line by the end of 2012.