Panasonic who have spent a decade dominating the ruggedized notebook market in Australia is set to get new competition from Acer that is lighter than what Panasonic is offering.
The Japanese Company has made a killing selling ruggedized devices to mining Companies and the likes of Telstra in Australia as well as Ninto the healthcare and defence market, surprisingly until now Panasonic has faced little competition for their notebooks and tablets that are far from cheap.
Last week Acer introduced its new Enduro series ruggedized notebooks and tablets with the Company well placed to supply this range especially as the bulk of sales come from tenders.
Acer who are #1 in the education market and recently won a $46M tender to supply teachers with notebooks in Victoria are a popular brand with both State and Government departments.
Currently, Panasonic is the largest ruggedized IPC vendor in the word with an over 50% market share, followed by Getac and Dell each having around 20-30% shares.
Acer’s Enduro N7 is designed specifically for front-line emergency care and factory environments with its exterior design meeting the MIL-810G military standard and the IP65 certification.
The Enduro N3 is more suitable for activity planners and outdoor usages thanks to its ultra-thin and light form factor.
The new N3 also meets the MIL-810G standard and the IP65 certification and is equipped with a Corning Gorilla glass and Aquafan water-proof technologies for enhanced protection.
Acer Australia has not announced pricing or local availability.
What is remaining are Live Tiles, is one of the trademark features of the latest version of Windows and Microsoft Surfaces new emails, headlines and weather updates in the small icon within the Start Menu – so there’s no need to click to open specific apps to find out what you need to know.
Microsoft is not saying when, we’ll see the new version of Start Menu arrive on PC’s and notebooks.
The fact that Microsoft is releasing images of its new vision for the Start Menu is a hint that it is not too far off or they maybe teasing to see what reaction there is to the concept.
