Acer remembers netbooks were supposed to be cheap, drops price on Aspire One

Not sure if you noticed (though you probably did), but these so-called netbooks never actually ended up being nearly as inexpensive as we were all led to believe. Matter of fact, some manufacturers even took the liberty of charging more than basic 15-inchers as they pimped the whole "pay a premium for portability" aspect. Nevertheless, we're glad to see the stickers declining on at least one subset, as Acer has announced price drops today on its Aspire One. The Windows XP unit will fall to $349 (from $399), while the Linpus Linux Lite model will sink to $329 (from $379). Best of all, the longevous six-cell battery-packin' flavor is now $399. Full release is after the break.

Acer Drives Outstanding Value in the Netbook Category with Price Reductions
on its Popular Aspire one

Ideal for Students, an Acer Aspire one Ultra-Lightweight Mobile Internet
Device Featuring Windows XP is Now Available for Just $349

SAN JOSE, Calif., August 22, 2008 – Acer America, the third largest vendor
in the global PC market (source: Gartner data, 2Q 2008), today announced it
has lowered the price of the popular Aspire one ultra-lightweight mobile
Internet device in the U.S. retail channel. In a move that will provide
affordability and value just in time for back-to-school, the Aspire one
featuring Windows XP Home® will now retail for $349.

Compact and smart, the Aspire one provides continuous access to the
Internet in an easy-to-use, stylish and ultra-mobile platform. Light
enough to tote in a backpack at just 2.17 pounds, the Aspire one is
designed to be an affordable, entry-level, "first PC" solution for
students, as well as a secondary computing device for on-the-go tech savvy
enthusiasts and professionals.

The Aspire one is ideal for everyday tasks such as Web browsing, checking
email, listening to music, instant messaging, viewing photos, VOIP calls
and streaming video. Equipped with Intel® Atom™ processor, Windows XP®
Home, 1GB of RAM memory installed, 120 GB internal hard drive, and a
three-cell battery, the Aspire one AOA150-1570 is now priced at $349. The
Aspire one AOA110-1722 with Linpus™ Linux Lite is now priced at $329.

"The Aspire one is a breakthrough product that meets the connectivity needs
of both students and mobile professionals," said Kristin Markworth, senior
manager of notebook product marketing for Acer America. "By increasing the
value of our mobile Internet device lineup, Acer is opening the Aspire one
experience to a whole new base of users."

Also introduced for business and education customers, the Aspire one
AOA150-1447 offers a professional solution for those who require added
performance. Featuring a six-cell battery, 160GB internal hard drive and
Windows XP Home, the Aspire one is perfect for on-the-go business
travellers and environments which require long-lasting battery power. The
Aspire one AOA150-1447 is now available via Acer authorized resellers with
prices beginning at $399.

Pricing and Availability

The Acer Aspire one netbook is available now via Acer's authorized
resellers and at major retailers nationwide. All models come with a
one-year limited warranty.

[xValentine @ Aug 22nd 2008 8:36AM]

Would have been much nicer if it's $299 :)

But still, that's a great price for a netbook.

[tom @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:40AM]

+1 Acer...

That's the price a Netbook should be =)

P.S. Let the price war begins

[MemphisNET @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:45AM]

Staples Canada will be going down to 279 in 3 weeks.

[Tonicboy @ Aug 22nd 2008 12:42PM]

@MemphisNET

Oh how I long for the days when that would've meant we Americans could jump the border for a shopping spree.

[XGM @ Aug 22nd 2008 1:07PM]

@ MemphisNET:

Where did you see that ? Because I would buy one for school at that price, beats hauling around a 17" MBP all day.

[brickwood @ Aug 22nd 2008 2:06PM]

u think that price is still too high?

here in australia.. the best price i can get on an aspire one is $497 with linux, 8gb ssd and 512mb ram... and i think that might be after a $99 cash back lol.

[ogvor @ Aug 22nd 2008 3:36PM]

I'm waiting for close to Christmas when I can get a Windows XP netbook for that price. It'll be great for carrying around campus.

[richard @ Aug 22nd 2008 5:02PM]

call your local Best Buy..i just picked up a 120GB XP version today. The advertised price is going on this weekends ad. I paid $499.99 retail price, and i will get the difference refunded this Sunday when the ad hits streets. BTW Advertised national price for 120GB XP version will be $349.99 just as staded!!

[Matthew C @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:54PM]

The price is great - But I've never seen a good review of acer products. From their customer service to the longevity of their machines - Acer is just ... cheap.


But, i guess you get what you pay for, right?

Cant wait to see the dell netbook.

[Glenn @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:33PM]

Laptop Mag's Review just went up and is pretty positive, though they are forgiving of the small trackpad and buttons because of the price...

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/acer-aspire-one-windows-xp.aspx

[FlamingGhost @ Aug 24th 2008 5:40AM]

Just bought one of these yesterday, went to buy it for £249 - PCWORLD check on the system - £199!! Snatched mine up super fast :D

[OneLove @ Aug 25th 2008 2:17PM]

Bankai!!!

[adobochicken @ Aug 22nd 2008 8:40AM]

the only thing that's keeping from buying this is the mousepad.
just checked amazon and xp version is still over 400

[Information Central @ Aug 22nd 2008 5:59PM]

But man, IT HAS A MATTE SCREEN (from the looks of it)!

Finally, some COMMON SENSE.

[bebop @ Aug 22nd 2008 8:47AM]

That's a big drop, and the XP version has only been available for a week or so. Leaving the early adopters rather miffed.

Having just bought my One, I can give you confirmation direct from the source.

Yes, I am miffed.

[%u2580%u2588 %u2588 %u2580%u2588 %u2584%u2588 %u2588%u2588 @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:26AM]

Oh god! 50 bucks is a lot of money.

[Mike Cerm @ Aug 22nd 2008 4:14PM]

Many reputable retailers will refund you the difference if there is a price drop within the duration of their return period.

So, if you bought it at Circuit City last week, and it's $50 cheap now, they'll give you the $50 back. If you bought one from somewhere else, they may have a similar policy.

[Baz @ Aug 22nd 2008 8:55AM]

ASUS - are you paying attention?

[crsh @ Aug 22nd 2008 11:01AM]

MSI as well, still selling a 3-cell model for $550.

[Minilap @ Aug 22nd 2008 6:51PM]

We need a linux MSI wind with 12GB SSD for $350

[Mike @ Aug 22nd 2008 8:56AM]

Oh little Dell... where aret thou and how much are ye?

[Sara @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:00AM]

Come on, bring the 6-cell version to the UK for a nicer price too!

[ALCie @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:03AM]

I payed $350 for my Linux one. So youre saying for the same price I could have gotten Windows, uninstalled it and still put Ubuntu on there? Damn, I really missed out.

[avester @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:23AM]

No, it means that you could've still get the Linux version, and spend the 20$ you saved on not getting the XP version for couple beers to help you figure out why you like buying Windows version just that you can uninstall it.

[Ericsprojects @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:10AM]

CDW.com is still showing the older, higher prices.

http://www.cdw.com/shop/search/results.aspx?key=aspire&searchscope=All&sr=1&Find+it.x=0&Find+it.y=0

[tapir @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:11AM]

And a six-cell Linux version as well, please. It's nice that the prices have been dropped across the board, but there's a hole in the range without a six-cell Linux version.

[dextro @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:15AM]

Do want the six-cell battery flavour!!!

[bale @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:15AM]

The mouse pad is not as bad as I imagined. The keys aren't even really that bad. I am going to call Microcenter after they show the price drop and get them to price match the one I just bought.

[Jack @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:45AM]

You better bring show them the press release from Acer's official site, and note the one from Engadget. Retailers are major dicks about honouring price-matches.

[Hellios @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:29AM]

Meh, this so doesn't concern me, the 3-cell/xp version retails for 380€ in my little European country, this little price drop will be ignored by the local distributors. I guess we'll never ever have that amazing price that 4g EEE had ($399 translated to 299€)...

[Blackster @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:30AM]

So, only a pricedrop for the american market or do we europeans (germans in particular) get a little love too?

[Jeebus @ Aug 24th 2008 1:18PM]

Nobody loves the Germans.

[billyearljr @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:35AM]

Folks. Just because a manufacturer is dropping the price doesn't mean the retailer is going to immediately follow suite. The manufacturer would need to comp the retailer for the "loss of value" of the merchandise and loss of margin. I'm sure the next wave of stock that the retailers receive from Acer will have those fantastic prices.

Or, the webmaster hasn't hit the update button. You choose.

[Rick @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:35AM]

What good is it to drop the price on vapor-ware made with Unobtanium 2 CPU's. Engadget should back up press releases with vendors that can deliver the hardware.

[Terry @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:36AM]

I picked one of these up a few days ago. And, yes... I weighed all the options between the wind and the eee 901.
I freaking love this little machine. It has an excellent form factor and performs smoothly. Much of my day is spent designing and programming, (and wasn't really considering "working" on the machine) but flash and photoshop are actually functional on it as well. The battery life needs improvement, but the wifi picks up perfectly and playing wow in a local bar on someone's open network is quite satisfying. If anything, picking one up for practicing starcraft is worth the ca$h..,,

[matthew Crawford @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:58AM]

I bet you meet some real cool people when you're playing WoW while bellied up to the bar!

[Dubb @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:01AM]

That's good to hear, I had been wanting pick one up for Photoshop/Coding. I'm not much into Flash, but I'm glad to hear that it works. Tried any 3D modeling? (Maya, Blender, etc) Did you upgrade the RAM?

It appears to have the same specs as the Wind, just the Wind has a bigger screen, so I would imagine it would have the same performance as the Aspire One.

[Yazan @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:40AM]

I have my eyes on an unreleased model: 1GB RAM, 80 GB HDD, 3-cell battery, windows XP flavour at futureshop for $399 .. any chance they got a memo on this ?

[K@0s @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:47AM]

Circuit City still showing the inflated price.

[Josh @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:50AM]

Isn't it obvious why they are doing this? The Dell is suppose to come out today, and they are trying to push as many units as they can before that Atom Core 2 comes out in a couple of months. They can cash in now with back to school and have version 2 ready to go by Christmas.

[thr33face @ Aug 22nd 2008 9:51AM]

no price drop here yet (europe).

btw: does anyone know when the 6cell variant will show up in europe?

[j.d.ripper @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:09AM]

waiting for the European price drop myself. Not sure if it will happen though. We always end up paying more than the folks in the US :-(

If this price drops in Europe, this will be the netbook for me.

[tiuk @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:12AM]

Finally someone gets it. Acer just pulled into the lead as far as I'm concerned. Here's hoping Dell follows suit.

[Jim @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:12AM]

With so many netbooks when are some site going to offer a bit of customization of them.
I know there are some feature I want but have little need of the others features included in the upgraded models.
I look forward to a dual boot (Windows XP - Linux) factory offering.

[Zadillo @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:13AM]

Was playing around with one of these at MicroCenter. Seems pretty nice overall; the only thing I really had trouble with was the mousebuttons on the sides of the trackpad (my same complaint with the HP Mini-Note). Otherwise seemed like a solid machine.

[Steve19970 @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:27AM]

Woot! I went to Microcenter to try one of these out the other day...had a really great feel to it. I've been cautiously watching the Lenovo S10 debut, but now that this has a 6 cell battery for the price I wanted, as well as a bigger HDD, I'm sold!

[bidur @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:44AM]

nice news .. but i wont buy this ..

i will pay few more and buy the cheapest thinkpad .. thats more better ..

[Superevil @ Aug 22nd 2008 10:50AM]

Thanks for informing the rest of us.

[Kspraydad @ Aug 22nd 2008 11:06AM]

Make sure your Thinkpad has Grammar Check on mkay?

[Striker @ Aug 22nd 2008 12:21PM]

Make sure you talk about it with someone that works for IBM, there is a 100% chance that they will offer their IBM Employee Discount, my Dad saved me about $2000 on my T61, only paid $1280 plus $40 for 2GB of RAM from Newegg.