Acer plans to launch its second-generation ultrabook models in the second quarter of 2012 and more new models in the third, with ultrabooks to account for 25-35% of its total notebook shipments for the year, according to company chairman JT Wang.

Sales of Acer's first ultrabook, the Aspire S3, totaled about 250,000-300,000 units in the first quarter after launch, and the company expects sales for its new Aspire S5 tablet PC will be even better.

That sounds like a Windows 8 tablet PC, rather than an Android one. US and Europe are expected to see slow sales.

Tim Anderson: "One of the features, which failed in the CES demo, is that a PC which is in hibernation can be woken up through wi-fi to deliver your content on demand:

"As long as the main PC is in sleep (standby/hibernation) mode, Acer Always Connect technology can wake it up through Wi-Fi® so media can be retrieved via a mobile device.

"This whole thing would work better if the cloud, rather than the home PC, were the central repository of data. A PC or notebook sitting at home is unreliable. It has a frail hard drive. It might be a laptop on battery power, and the battery might expire. The home broadband connection might fail – and most home connections are much slower uploading to the internet than downloading from it.

"Another question: if you one of the professionals Acer refers to, will you want to put your faith in AcerCloud for showing documents at your business meeting?"

"Which is which? Acer just showed off its AcerCloud service, something that already sounded suspiciously like Apple's iCloud. Even the "PicStream" element sounds a lot like Photo Stream. Still not convinced? Acer basically ripped off Apple's slide wholesale, outside of the font, which is a simulacrum of Apple's font of yore. Check out both slides below."

The slides are indeed a ripoff, though it's hard to argue that the idea of having a cloud storage system is unique to Apple. Although the key point here is that this isn't connected to Google, and it's like Apple's iCloud in that it abstracts the file system away - you have photos and you have documents.

How? By selling ultrabooks as part of a 10% increase in notebook shipments in 2012. "Many notebook PC and chip makers have said the slicker ultrathin notebook PCs, dubbed 'ultrabooks,' would likely be a game changer. But analysts say it is too early to gauge whether they can grab some market share back from tablets, as the first batch of ultrabooks only hit the market earlier this quarter.

"[Chief executive] JT Wang said: "Ultrabooks will become our key growth driver next year as customers want a lighter, thinner notebook with longer battery life. Selling more ultrabooks will also help improve our profit margins as they command higher prices."

Selling Apple-like designs at Apple-like prices is the way forward for Windows OEMs?

"Troubled Acer has penned a new financing deal to cover working capital requirements and pay off a previous loan it took out to acquire Gateway.

"The firm has gone through a major reshuffle of management following a loss-making year in which sluggish consumer demand caught it by surprise and resulted in an inventory pile-up."

Just to point out that the Gateway acquisition cost £350m and completed in October 2007. Four years later it has to take a loan out to finish that? Sounds like an unsuccessful acquisition that hasn't generated as much cash as expected.

Fascinating review, because the only part where it is complimentary is on the boot and resume times. On everything else - keyboard quality, build quality, performance, battery life (they couldn't get it above three and a half hours) - it's not as good as rivals, especially Samsung.

Notice how Samsung is the name that keeps getting complimentary comments: it is beginning to look like the only company that can properly challenge Apple in both PCs and phones. It even has its own mobile OS.

"Expect some great deals on Acer laptops in coming weeks. The Taiwanese giant has huge amounts of unsold stock to shift and looks set to flood Europe with more than three million machines.<br />
"Where will the stock be dumped and at what cost? We will we know only when they turn up in store at prices too true to be good - for rival notebook vendors. But we understand that negotiations with large retailers have already started."