Acer, the second largest PC manufacturer in the world, has announced plans to launch a tablet line in November. In an interview with Dow Jones Newswires, Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci confirmed that the tablet line would launch on the 23rd and that their goal was to become the "leader in mobile solutions for PC products from 3-inch to 20-inch."
Their tablets will run between $299.99 and $699.99, no features of the tablets were mentioned. The operating system was left a mystery, but previous rumors lead us to believe that they will run Android OS versus a full-fledged OS like Windows 7. These rumors also point to three options when it comes to screen size, 5-inch, 7-inch, and 10-inch devices. Further clarification is in the picture above with Lanci holding what appears to be a 5" or 7" Android-powered tablet in a fresh Kindle-like form-factor, a front-facing QWERTY on the bottom of the device.
The market for tablets has exploded over the last six months, and Acer is one of the last to jump on the bandwagon. However, they plan on staking their claim by launching their own application store that will integrate it's tablets, smartphones, and PC products. I like the idea, but let's hope they don't block Android Market. I can see this crashing and burning before it starts if that's what they have in mind. Addressing the competition, Lanci added that the:
"iPad is so popular because it is the only one now. I think we have a strong brand and strong distribution channels. We are in a good position to offer different solutions, not only one product..."
Their presence in the mobile world hasn't been awe-inspiring, but we can expect good things to come from Acer, as they have proven their dominance in the PC world and they seem to be focusing on what's important, diversity and flexibility.
Via BGR
Source WSJ
