The Ultrabook standard is a new standard that Intel is trying to introduce to the mobile computing world, but it looks like Apple’s MacBook Air is doing well enough for itself that it could be hindering the sales of Ultrabooks from other manufacturers. This is thanks to Q2 results which revealed that only 500,000 Ultrabooks were shipped, while 2.8 million MacBooks were sold, with a sizeable portion of those belonging to the MacBook Air. Addtionally, IDC analyst Jay Chou estimated that only 1 million Ultrabooks would be sold by the end of this year. While the notion of 1 million does seem like a big number for folks like you and I, it is only a fraction of his estimation of 225 million laptops which are to be sold by the end of the year. This is also way below the 40% marketshare that Intel had expected Ultrabooks to cover. Chou has also suggested that customers could be putting off their purchases as they wait for the release of Windows 8, which is expected to be made available later this year.
Let’s have a peek at the Acer Aspire S5, the ultrabook with the mechanical “MagicFlip” dish in the back with ports that whirrs out when you need to plug in and don’t need all that pesky space this near-thinnest on the market notebook works with. It’s just 0.6-inches when it’s all folded up, and pressing that button in the upper right of your keyboard brings down a flap in the back that has a set of ports you’ll only otherwise get with a laptop twice this one’s size. Inside the S5 you’ve got Windows 7, a 3rd generation Intel Core i& processor, and the whole device looks just fabulous – but is it worth the massive price tag it comes attached with?
Chassis
This device has Acer’s nicest casing for a notebook they’ve ever released, with a lovely off-black for the entirety of its body, the Acer logo up top, bumpers on the bottom, and a smooth shell all around, you’ve got a real looker on your hands. The display is a 13.3 HD Widescreen CineCrystal LCD and is perfectly bright and ready for whatever kind of HD action you’ve got in store at 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, while the whole unit weighs in at a measly 2.65 pounds total.
The speakers on this unit are reasonable, but certainly aren’t good enough for hardcore gaming or listening to an opera – you’ve got a headphone jack for that.
So it’s light, the speakers are OK, the display is lovely, and the whole unit looks nice – does this mean it’s a winner?
It doesn’t mean that we’ve got a winner entirely. The Acer Aspire S5 is a device that must be aimed at those on the go with the desire to work on tasks that are mostly based in the keyboard area. There’s a bit of an issue with the arrow keys, and the trackpad is far from perfect – head down to the Keyboard and Trackpad section of this review for more on those bits. Meanwhile we’ve got a bit of a bone to pick with the top of the notebook.
If you press down on the top of this notebook, the center bends down a concerning amount. There’s a considerable amount of give here, and though I don’t imagine that a notebook with the high quality construction this one has is going to break any time soon, it gives the impression that it’s just a bit flimsy. On the other hand, the heavy-duty metal construction all around the device makes for a nice feel as well as a really nice look from any distance.
MagicPort
The MagicPort is activated with a large button in the upper right of the keyboard area, and it can be activated whether or not the device is powered on itself. Though we’re not sure why you’d want to open this tray up while you’re powered down, it is something to think about. This tray also comes open automatically to reveal extra air holes if the ultrabook gets too hot while you’re playing some hardcore games or processing large bits of video.
And the sound this MagicPort makes when it opens – it’s crazy. It’s like a buzz-creaking sort of situation that does not sound nearly as healthy as it really should. Of course that has no baring on the fact that the tray does, in fact, work perfectly well, and is pretty darn cool looking when it comes down to it. Inside the tray you’ve got a full-size HDMI port, two USB 3.0 ports, and a Thunderbolt port.
This last port isn’t going to do you a lot of good in the short run as there certainly isn’t a massive Thunderbolt port industry for PCs at the moment, but you can bank on it being useful in the next year or so – that’s future-proofing if we’ve ever seen it.
Keyboard and Trackpad
The keyboard here is rather nice to tap on, the keys are well space, they hammer down nicely, and the whole unit seems to be ready for the long haul. The only problem here seems to be the arrow buttons in the lower right. Acer assumes that you will not be using these buttons very often. This is a major problem for me, as I use the arrow buttons all the time in corrections of text and navigating through application icons, and selections in lists throughout a normal working day.
Though the keyboard is great, the arrow buttons are going to be a bit of a problem unless you’ve got tiny mouse fingers. If you’re coming from a MacBook, you’re going to have a giant problem getting used to these arrow keys as yours have been large and separated enough for constant use via Apple for years. Expect to use the wireless mouse that Acer has included in the package instead of your arrow keys, and watch out for the trackpad, too.
This mouse is rather run of the mill, but does connect via Bluetooth perfectly well and will be an OK companion for your A5 through the future. Of course it is a bit concerning that the trackpad on this device is less than perfect. It’s pretty close to being a suitable companion to the cost of this notebook, but it’s not quite perfect enough to give a two-thumbs-up. If you’re used to the trackpads that have come on Acer notebooks for the past year or so, you’ll be fine.
Benchmarks
This device runs an Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, works with a 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3517U Processor with 4MB L3 cache, up to 3.0GHz with Turbo Boost technology. You’ve also got 4GB Dual-Channel SDRAM and a 256GB solid state drive under the hood. For visuals you’ve got Intel HD Graphics 4000 and Mobile Intel HM77 Express is running smooth as well. All of this equals a generally impressive ultrabook ready for games and processing normally reserved for devices that are twice its size.
It all comes down to the benchmark, on the other hand – have a peek at our Geekbench results here and feel free to compare to the rest of our Laptop Reviews as you see fit.
Benchmark Score – Acer Aspire S5-391
Section
Description
Score
Total Score
Windows x86 (64-bit) – Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Integer
Processor integer performance
6139
8226
Floating Point
Processor floating point performance
11175
Memory
Memory performance
7408
Stream
Memory bandwidth performance
6845
Have a glance at some of the system specifications on this model too, while you’re at it.
System – Acer Aspire S5-391
Manufacturer
Acer
Product Type
Notebook
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Motherboard
Acer Venus
Processor
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3517U CPU @ 1.90GHz
Processor ID
GenuineIntel Family 6 Model 58 Stepping 9
Processor Frequency
2.40 GHz
Processors
1
Threads
4
Cores
2
L1 Instruction Cache
32.0 KB
L1 Data Cache
32.0 KB
L2 Cache
256 KB
L3 Cache
4.00 MB
Memory
3.84 GB DDR3 SDRAM 666MHz
FSB
99.8 MHz
BIOS
Acer V1.01
Wrap-Up
In short, this ultrabook is one of if not THE thinnest notebook you’re ever going to want to own, and with a look and feel like this, you’ll have a great time picking one up. The pricing is a bit concerning when compared to other ultrabooks on the market right now that can do essentially all of the same things this one can at just a bit larger a cost in the actual physical size department. But consider this: you get what you pay for, and if your aim is to grab a thinnest-in-class yet high-quality notebook with power enough to play top-quality games and work all day long on web and local-based type-heavy tasks on Windows, you’ve got the best there is right here.
You can pick up the model we’ve got here, the Acer Aspire S5 S5-391-9880, at Acer’s online store for a cool $1399.99 USD, and it’s in stock right this minute. Also check our our Acer Aspire S3 with Core i7 Review for an ultrabook that’s just a bit larger.
For a while there, the march of Ultrabooks was comprised almost entirely of halo products: skinny, relatively expensive things designed to help Intel and its OEM partners make a good impression on the general laptop-buying public. But with 110-plus models in the pipeline, they can’t all be expensive, right? By now, you may have noticed that Ultrabooks are starting to look a little less uniform: there have been larger ones, heavier ones, some with optical drives, some with discrete graphics.
Next up: cheaper ones. Just in time for back-to-school shopping season, we’re seeing a wave of more reasonably priced Ultrabooks, many of them with traditional spinning hard drives and slightly heavier frames. One of these is the Lenovo IdeaPad U310, a machine that brings Core i5, 4GB of RAM and hybrid storage for $799. Oh, and its design is pleasantly reminiscent of the IdeaPad U300s, a higher-end Ultrabook we reviewed late last year. No doubt, then, it’ll be a tempting option for people who can’t afford to spend $1,000-plus on a laptop. But is it worth it? Let’s find out.
Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer might be working overtime to keep Apple at bay, but the PC market that his company largely built is hurting, if you ask researchers at Gartner and IDC. Both estimate that shipments of traditional computers dropped by a tenth of a point in the second quarter of 2012 — not a good sign when Intel’s Ivy Bridge processors and a wave of Ultrabooks were supposed to usher in a PC renaissance. While the exact numbers vary, the two paint a partly familiar picture of the world stage: HP and Dell are taking a bruising, while ASUS and Lenovo are making huge leaps forward. Depending on who you ask, though, Acer is either kicking Dell down to fourth place or occupying that all too comfortable spot itself. The economy and tablets are once again blamed for making would-be PC upgraders jittery, although this time it may also be the wait for Windows 8 leading some to hold off.
If there’s a point of contention, it’s the US figures. Gartner and IDC alike agree that Acer, Dell and HP all took a drubbing. The two analyst groups are at odds with each other when it comes to everyone else, though. Apple will have gained market share to as much as 12 percent, but either increased or shrank its shipments; it’s Lenovo or Toshiba completing the top five outside of the usual suspects. Accordingly, take results with a grain of salt until all the PC builders have reported in. Nonetheless, if the groups have the same reasonable level of precision as they’ve had in the past, Microsoft may have to defer its ambitions for a little while longer.
Until recently, Sony’s name has been conspicuously absent on the ever-growing list of Ultrabook makers. Sure, we’ve known about the VAIO T series since CES, when the company teased an unnamed notebook behind glass, but it didn’t get its official reveal until May, when it hit the European market — with last-generation Sandy Bridge processors. That’s no way to make a splash when Ivy Bridge CPUs are now de rigueur for Ultrabooks and mainstream laptops alike.
Luckily, Sony got things right on the US side, releasing the 13-inch VAIO T13 with Ivy Bridge processors in tow. Other than those new chips, the Ultrabook features identical specs to the European model, not to mention the same brushed silver aluminum design. And while the brand is in for a serious game of catchup as it enters an already-crowded market, its VAIO T is priced to compete at $770. Let’s welcome Sony to the Ultrabook game by giving the T13 the full review treatment.
Back at Computex last month we saw dozens of Windows 8-ready Ultrabooks on display: sliding-ones, touchscreen ones, foldable ones. Curiously, though, there were virtually none aimed at businesses — you know, one of Microsoft’s key customer groups. Today, though, Fujitsu is unveiling not one, but two devices aimed at the corporate crowd: the Stylistic Q702 laptop/tablet hybrid and the LifeBook T902, a convertible laptop.
Starting with the Q702, it’s an 11.6-inch tablet that works with an optional keyboard dock and also supports pen input. Yes, that’s a form factor we know all too well at this point, but this one at least manages to differentiate itself with business-friendly features like TPM, Intel Anti-Theft technology, Computrace support and built-in WWAN and LTE connectivity (so far, we know AT&T, Verizon and Sprint will be on board). Under the hood, it runs Ivy Bridge processors (Core i3 or i5) with 4GB of RAM and an SSD with up to 128GB of storage space. As you’d expect of an 11.6-inch Windows tablet, the resolution is 1,366 x 768, though Fujitsu also added Gorilla Glass coating and ratcheted the brightness up to 400 nits. On its own, the 1.88-pound tablet is rated for 4.5 hours of runtime (the dock adds an extra 5.5). Speaking of which, in addition to a built-in battery, the dock adds two USB 2.0 / 3.0 ports, Ethernet jack and VGA.
Moving on, the LifeBook T902 replaces this guy with a higher-res 13-inch Gorilla Glass display (1,600 x 900 this time) and is powered by Ivy Bridge processors (i5 and i7 chips, to be precise). Inside that 4.1-pound body you can cram up to 16GB of RAM, along with optional WWAN or LTE radios. It’s also home to a modular bay, which you can use to add a spare battery or hard drive, or maybe even an optical drive. Fujitsu rates the battery life at up to 11 hours, but that’s assuming you go ahead and buy that second battery. Here, too, you’ll find security features like TPM and Computrace support, but unlike the Q702 tablet it adds a fingerprint sensor and IT-friendly vPro chips.
The Q702 and T902 will both ship with Windows 7, but are naturally upgradeable to Win8. Look for both to arrive sometime in the third quarter, with the Q702 hybrid starting at $1,099 and the T902 going for $1,899 and up. Full PR after the break, along with a press shot of the convertible.
Samsung added the Silver color edition to its Notebook Series 9 line up. Samsung Series 9 is an ultra-slim and light weighted premium notebook series created by Samsung’s craftsmanship and the newly launched Silver edition aims to attract the young customers in their 20s. While the existing Mineral Ash model which looks like two tone colors depending on lights delivers a sense of luxurious refinement, the new Silver model highlights the image and characteristic of an ultra-slim and …
It looks like OEMs which create Ultrabook computers could be in hot soup in the future. According to reports online, the US Patent and Trademark Office has granted Apple the rights to the design of the latest version of the MacBook Air. How does this affect other PC makers, you ask? Well, judging by the diagram provided (image above) you can see why – it pretty much looks like any generic Intel Ultrabook available on the market today.
There’s no telling what Apple will be doing with the power of this patent, but if it wanted to make life hell for its competitors it probably could. Apple is already going against Samsung in the smartphone market with its numerous lawsuits, I wouldn’t be surprised if the battle carries over to the portable computer sector as well.
Good things come in pairs, right? Earlier this year Samsung revamped its high-end Series 9 line with two new Ultrabooks: an impressively thin 15-inch model, along with a more portable 13-inch machine. So far this year, we’ve gotten a chance to review the larger version which remains one of our favorite ultraportables ever, thanks to its minimal design, fast performance, lovely display and long battery life.
“So what?” you’re thinking. “Why bother revisiting the miniature version?” For one, friends, Samsung only recently refreshed the Series 9 with third-generation Intel Core processors, and we were eager to make note of any performance gains. More importantly, though, the 13-inch Series 9 faces stiffer competition than its big brother. There truly isn’t another big-screen notebook quite as thin or as light as the 15-inch Series 9; if those are the attributes that matter most, that’s the laptop you’re best off getting. But the smaller Series 9 finds itself fighting for space on retail shelves amidst high-end ultraportables like the MacBook Air, ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A, the HP Envy Spectre XT and, well, you get the idea. So how does this $1,300 system fare against such worthy opponents? Read on to find out.
This certainly doesn’t come as a huge surprise given where Acer has been focusing its attention as of late, but it looks like the company is truly intent on shedding its image as a low-cost brand — at least in Europe. Speaking with TechRadar, an Acer spokesperson said that “it can be a slightly conflicting message,” referring to it also offering computers under its Packard Bell brand, and that “Acer is moving away from the lower end.” In this case, Acer is defining low-end as under £400, or roughly $600, although it says there will be some crossover. The spokesperson further added that “Acer will become more premium,” also noting that “we try to separate the two brands as far as possible, so the average consumer has no idea that the two brands are associated.” What that means for Acer in North America (where the Packard Bell brand is long gone) remains to be seen, but we’ve reached out to the company for comment.
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The Ultrabook standard is a new standard that Intel is trying to introduce to the mobile computing world, but it looks like Apple’s MacBook Air is doing well enough for itself that it could be hindering the sales of Ultrabooks from other manufacturers. This is thanks to Q2 results which revealed that only 500,000 Ultrabooks were shipped, while 2.8 million MacBooks were sold, with a sizeable portion of those belonging to the MacBook Air. Addtionally, IDC analyst Jay Chou estimated that only 1 million Ultrabooks would be sold by the end of this year. While the notion of 1 million does seem like a big number for folks like you and I, it is only a fraction of his estimation of 225 million laptops which are to be sold by the end of the year. This is also way below the 40% marketshare that Intel had expected Ultrabooks to cover. Chou has also suggested that customers could be putting off their purchases as they wait for the release of Windows 8, which is expected to be made available later this year.
It looks like OEMs which create Ultrabook computers could be in hot soup in the future. According to reports online, the US Patent and Trademark Office has granted Apple the rights to the design of the latest version of the MacBook Air. How does this affect other PC makers, you ask? Well, judging by the diagram provided (image above) you can see why – it pretty much looks like any generic Intel Ultrabook available on the market today.
