Having seen the extent of its Atom-powered Aspire One netbook success, Acer decided it was time to start planning a nettop of its own, especially since its greatest rivals on the low-power PC market, ASUS and MSI, had already released their own such systems. The company is now said to be planning a nettop for the upcoming year, one that is likely to be powered by a processor from either VIA or AMD, a feature that is bound to differentiate Acer's nettop solution from those of its competitors.

 

According to Digitimes' sources at OEM providers, Acer is currently planning a 1-liter nettop that is set to debut at the beginning of 2009. The new product will be designed to compete with similar ones released by ASUS, MSI and others, but, unlike its competitors, this one is due to be powered by either a VIA or an AMD processing unit.

 

The reasons for which Acer is considering adopting a VIA or an AMD processor for its first nettop system are rather simple. The company doesn't want its nettop shipments to impact its supply of Atom processors. That is because Acer has big expectations for its already-successful Aspire One netbook, which is said to account for 12 to 13 million units in 2009 alone. Acer is, however, keeping the Atom processor as a possible option for its upcoming, low-cost nettop systems.

 

In the meantime, the third largest worldwide PC vendor is considering which manufacturer will produce its upcoming nettop, having the possibility to choose from three major players, including Quanta Computer, Winston, and Micro-Star International (MSI). Word has it the company will come to a decision next month.

 

Acer's nettop is expected to be targeted at both the enterprise and the consumer market, and will provide features that will allow it to be connected to both a TV, as well as an LCD monitor. If the company is, in fact, planning to release a non-Atom nettop system, the product will certainly come as a refresh to the market.