Acer Plans a Million Chrome OS Netbooks, New E-Reader

Google is yet to release its Chrome operating system for netbooks but already Acer is betting big on it.

Acer says it plans to ship about one million netbooks this year running Chrome OS.

?For Chrome, we?re aggressively pursuing to become one of the first,? Jim Wong, Acer’s president of IT products division told Bloomberg, “so there?s a change to the Microsoft-Intel environment.”

The Acer netbooks with Chrome OS are expected to be released in the third quarter of the year.

For the fledgling operating system, Acer’s support will ensure it debuts with a bang.

Google introduced Chrome OS two months ago as a lightweight, browser-based operating system that would boot up in seven seconds or less. The first Chrome OS netbooks will be available in late 2010, the company said, through hardware from manufacturers Google has partnered with.

Acer’s support is important for Google as the former is one of the biggest netbook makers. Acer’s also an ambitious company that has set its sights on overtaking HP to become the leading PC maker.

Acer hasn’t mentioned pricing for its Chrome OS netbooks but Google has said that it will cost about the same as those running Microsoft’s Windows operating system.

Acer’s ambitions extend beyond netbooks. At the end of June, the company plans to launch an e-reader with a 6-inch black-and-white screen.

Though Acer has been one of the pioneers in the netbook market, it is a late entrant to the fast-growing e-readers segment. So, instead of competing with rivals such as Amazon’s Kindle, Sony’s Reader and Barnes & Noble’s Nook in the U.S., Acer plans to focus on Europe and Asia.

The company says it will target its e-readers at customers outside North America and build partnerships with publishers in other countries.

See Also: