Taiwanese computer manufacturer Acer Inc has launched its AcerPower Net PC, but seems to have missed the point. Its Net PC comes with similar specifications as others launched at PC Expo this week (CI No 3183), except that it has two expansion slots for CD-ROM or floppy drives. But wasn’t the ethos underlying the whole Net PC initiative to offer lower cost of ownership by restricting the means of user customization? No other Net PC manufacture has yet offered these expansion capabilities. The AcerPower Net PC has an Intel Corp Pentium processor, from 133MHz to 200MHz with MMX multimedia extensions, 16 to 32Mb SDRAM, 512Kb Level 2 Cache and a 3Gb hard drive, pre-loaded with Windows 95 or Windows NT, and Intel LANDesk Client Manager software. It’s priced at between $750 and $1,550, and should be out by the fall.
