Acer 'not phasing out netbooks'

When Taiwan sales manager for Acer, Lu Bing-hsian, let loose the choice morsel of information that the company's movement into the tablet market was 'aimed at phasing out netbooks', we were rather surprised.

Fact is that the company has been dabbling in netbooks for quite some time and it would seem to be jumping the gun a little to kick that particular technology to the cub in favour of everyone's favourite talking point, the tablet PC. Little surprise, then, that Acer has acted quickly to quash Bing-hsian's statement and bring back some love for the humble netbook device.

A statement released by the company notes: 'Mobility, which has always been part of Acer’s DNA, finds a new form of expression in the range of tablets on offer, which feature various display sizes and models designed to fit different kinds of usage scenarios.

'Acer recognises that the computer market is changing: As PCs are no longer used to only create content but are more and more becoming consumption tools, new devices and new form factors are appearing. This means the range of devices available to users is getting wider and tablets are just another piece of the mosaic. Therefore they will find their space next to netbooks and notebooks, without taking over.'

The company has recently announced a range of tablets, including 10.1-inch and 7-inch Android-based models and a 10.1-inch model kitted out with Microsoft's Windows 7 OS. However, it clearly wants the world to know that while the tablet form factor is important to its future, it's not everything.

'Technological developments are changing the way we interact with devices. No longer a single product but a multitude of instruments with diverse form factors and display sizes designed to meet the specific connection need of that particular moment, allowing the digital individual to stay connected and interact with his world, anytime, anywhere.'

Backtracking over, order has been restored.