Shane McGlaun16 April 2009, 9:00 AM
Acer Z5600 all-in-one debuts to battle Apple, Dell, Asus, and the myriad of other all-in-one computers on the market.
There was once a time when all computers used large desktop or desk side boxes to stuff all the cables and components into. As time went by, components were miniaturized, and heat was less of an issue allowing computer makers to reduce the size of the computer tower. Eventually the computer tower became optional altogether with companies like Apple and its iMac line of all-in-one computers helping to pave the way for a new category of system.
Today you can find all-in-one computers from a variety of computer makers including Dell with its
dodgy kitchen PC to Asus with its line of all-in-one Eee Top systems. Acer has decided it was high time for it to jump into the world of all-in-one computers with a
new model called the Acer Aspire Z5600. Apparently, someone forgot to tell Acer that it isn't the first, nor will it be the last to enter into the category.
Acer's press release states, "No longer do users have to be limited to the use of keyboard and mouse controls or be restricted with expensive propriety touch implementations." Yeah, well we have been free from those dastardly keyboards and mice for a long time now; the caveat being touch control is far from ideal for a desktop computer.
Acer is mum on the particulars for the machine with important specifications like the CPU and RAM being left to the imagination. All Acer will say is that the Z5600 will be cheap and is Windows 7 ready. Acer does talk up the available 2TB of storage for the system, but again that tidbit hardly differentiates the Z5600 from other machines already on the market.
All of the components are stuffed into a 24-inch LCD with 1080p resolution and Blu-ray is an option. A TV tuner is integrated and the computer will use the latest MXM graphics processors says Acer. The machine includes a mouse and keyboard for the computing purists who aren’t yet ready to be freed from the shackles of traditional input devices. Oddly, Acer opted for a wired mouse and keyboard neglecting to use the newfangled wireless doohickeys so popular with the kids today.
Acer Australia says it plans to introduce the model here, but hasn't got pricing or release dates ready to announce yet.