Acer launches £199 subnotebook

On Tuesday, Acer launched its first entry into the low-cost subnotebook genre: the Aspire One.

The 'mobile internet device' (MID), which Acer is trying very hard to categorise away from its higher-end laptops, is one of the first machines to be based on Intel's low-power Atom processor. It has a "95 percent"-sized keyboard and an 8.9-inch screen.

Acer hopes to sell seven million of the devices this year alone, although the company's vice president of marketing and brand, Gianpiero Morbello, said at the launch that it could produce even more units "if Intel gives [Acer] more processors".

Morbello said that, for Acer, the Aspire One was "not an entry-level notebook", but should in fact be classified along with Acer's nascent handset business — the company bought the phone manufacturer Eten earlier this year for its expertise, and is planning a big push in the handheld market.

Acer is currently the second-largest notebook producer in the world, behind HP.