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Acer brings its Windows 8 launch lineup to CES

Recent releases include the touch-screen Aspire S7 and hybrid W700.

Dan Ackerman Editorial Director / Computers and Gaming
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
Expertise I've been testing and reviewing computer and gaming hardware for over 20 years, covering every console launch since the Dreamcast and every MacBook...ever. Credentials
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Dan Ackerman
2 min read

Like many PC companies, Acer released a wide range of new laptops and hybrids alongside Windows 8 at the tail end of 2012. With fresh systems just hitting shelves, the company is highlighting those products at CES 2013, rather than announcing new additions.

We've gotten a few chances to check out Acer's Windows 8 launch lineup over the past two months, and have come away with a generally favorable impression. They run the gamut from traditional clamshell laptops with added touch screens to hybrids that straddle the line between PC and tablet. Highlights include:

Acer Aspire S7
This was one of the sharpest-looking new Windows 8 systems, incredibly thin and light, although the glass-covered lid makes it a bit top-heavy. While the hardware and design of the Aspire S7 is definitely premium, it's a tough sell at $1,649 (for the Core i7 version), especially with touch-screen Windows 8 laptops available for as little as $529.

Acer Iconia W700
The Acer Iconia W700 is one of only a handful of Core i5-or-better slates we've seen with Windows 8. When docked, it feels like a mini all-in-one desktop, although some felt this full Windows 8 touch-screen tablet and keyboard combo looked ridiculous.

Acer Iconia W510
Overpriced for a system with an Intel Atom, this laptop with a detachable screen works as a standalone Windows 8 tablet when separated. Still, the idea of a touch-screen slate running a full Windows operating system that can instantly transform into a working laptop is an appealing one.

The three PCs referenced above were originally announced alongside the launch of Windows 8 in late 2012, and are available to buy now.