ACER UNDERCUTS NOTEBOOK RIVALS

Acer, the world's third-largest PC vendor, yesterday shook up the global notebook computer market with the launch of a new range of ultra-thin products at half the price charged by competitors such as Sony, Samsung and Fujitsu.

JT Wang, Acer's chairman, said in Beijing that the Aspire Timeline, a lightweight notebook with a slim profile and more than eight hours of battery life, would sell for less than $1,000, compared with about $2,000 for most similar products.

The sector was launched last year by Apple, whose Macbook Air, the world's thinnest laptop, has a minimum price tag of $1,800.

The move is set to speed up the commoditisation of the PC market following the success of netbooks – small, low-end notebook computers – which have grabbed more than one-fifth of the world notebook market in little more than a year.