Just a couple days ago, we heard about Intel’s plans to offer a new reference bill of materials for their “ultrabook” class of laptops. Essentially it’s a new blueprint with the aim of putting these new thin-but-powerful laptops (if they ever appear) under a thousand dollars — putting them in direct competition with the 2.38-pound gorilla of the laptop world, Apple’s MacBook Air.
As the meeting was supposed to take place next week, I think we can be sure that Acer’s newest ultrabook, apparently leaked to a Vietnamese tech blog, isn’t made with the new mold in mind. The device pictured has a 13.3-inch screen, a Sandy Bridge generation Core processor, and comes with a HDD standard and SSD optional. No doubt that hard drive contributes to the 3-pound weight, though the case is aluminum, not the fiberglass we heard rumored. HDD included (I presume), it’s nearly as light as the 13″ Air, and it could be lighter without.
Interestingly, the most-used ports are located on the back, a design I thought we left behind some years ago. On the sides are headphone and card reader ports; on the back are USB, HDMI, and power.
The 3951 is certainly svelte, and the specs seem solid, but will it hit that all-important $1000 price tag? Sohoa estimates the price at 16-20 million VND, or ~$750-950, but the source isn’t clear. It’s possible — but I don’t think these will be made in large quantities, partly due to the shortage of aluminum milling workspace (they couldn’t make a million of these), and partly because of the upcoming Intel revision. Best to just wait and see.
[via Tom’s Hardware]