Acer R7 Review: Something Different
by Jarred Walton on August 15, 2013 12:45 AM ESTWe’re definitely late to the party when it comes to reviewing the Aspire R7, but it’s still an interesting design and we thought it was at least worth a look before we move on. And moving on we are: part of the reason why I wanted to look at the Aspire R7 is that we’ve also got the Aspire V7 in hand, and the review is nearly finished. The Aspire V7 is a far more traditional design, in that there’s no Ezel hinge and the keyboard and touchpad are in the usual places. The general aesthetic and industrial design however is very similar to the Aspire R7. What’s particularly impressive is that the V7 manages to pack more performance into a smaller chassis. But I’m getting ahead of myself; let’s first wrap up the review of the R7.
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Acer's V7: Smaller and faster, and no Ezel hinge
I think over the last year we’ve definitely seen Acer begin to turn over a new leaf. Yes, we’ll still see budget-oriented value offerings out of the company, and the Acer Chromebook continues to be one of the best-selling laptops around – mostly because of its incredibly low price. However, the industrial design and willingness to take some risks with both the S7 and R7 give us renewed hope for the future. A continued focus on high quality displays and improved build quality coupled with a more traditional design is pretty much all we want. (And as we’ll see in the next few days, the Aspire V7 delivers exactly that.)
The other part of my conclusion is that I’m becoming increasingly convinced that Windows 8 is a serious misstep for Microsoft. I suppose we could say some of what they’ve done was almost required in order to try and compete in an increasingly crowded market, but when I look at the simplicity offered by Android and iOS and then look at the Jekyll and Hyde interface from Windows 8, I just don’t see this ending well. I feel that Windows RT needs to be its own platform, and forget about backwards compatibility. Meanwhile, Windows 8 takes the Windows RT interface and forces that on many desktop and notebook users that don’t want it, and while it’s backwards compatible with existing Windows applications, most existing Windows applications don’t play well with a touchscreen.
The good news is that with Windows 8 on desktops and notebooks, all I have to do is disable the Start Screen and ignore touchscreen interfaces and I get a similar experience overall to Windows 7, typically with faster boot times. And even if you do open or use a Metro app on occasion, it's not too difficult to do so with a mouse or touchpad (though it might be less than optimal). Going the other way isn't so easy, though, as desktop apps often don't work well at all without a mouse or touchpad. This is the problem that the Acer R7 faces, and unless/until Microsoft can fix things, at least personally I find the touchscreen to be mostly a gimmick that I don’t need – just like most of the Windows 8 apps. At least with the R7, the gigantic hybrid tablet functionality provides a use case for Windows 8 apps on a notebook, and you can continue to use the keyboard and touchpad for desktop apps.
If you’ve always wanted a 15.6-inch convertible tablet thingy, the Acer Aspire R7 might be exactly what you need. I can’t immediately think of any other competing systems, though perhaps I just haven’t looked hard enough. It’s a combination laptop/tablet/all-in-one, depending on how you want to use it, and if you’re willing to give it a bit of a chance it can function in any of those ways reasonably well. There are definitely better tablets, better laptops, and better all-in-ones, but the R7 is pretty much unique in the marketplace right now. I’d still say it’s not for me, even though I’ve enjoyed poking around at it off and on over the past month and a half, but the only real failures are the companies that refuse to innovate. I’ll definitely keep an eye on Acer to see what other interesting ideas they have to offer in the coming years.
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fluxtatic - Saturday, August 17, 2013 - link
Right, because there is no such thing as market saturation when it comes to iPads. Matter of fact, when it comes time to replace this desktop I'm typing this on, I'll buy two iPads so I can leave one on the back of the toilet.God knows the iPhone continued to sell gangbusters and is now selling more than every other smartphone on the planet combined. Oh, wait...
ddriver - Thursday, August 15, 2013 - link
Dude, it is completely different market. Completely different product range. iOS and Android are useless for professionals. Ford sells more cars than Lamborghini, but that doesn't make ford cards better. Professional products is a smaller market. You are comparing apples to oranges.Not that I am a fan of M$ or windows, and not that I don't think windows 8 sucks in a terrible way but still..
HisDivineOrder - Thursday, August 15, 2013 - link
Everything touch-related about Windows 8 isn't screaming professional market, either. That you can use desktop applications on a tablet is vaguely useful, but for the most part when a company is going to have to make new versions of programs they've traditionally run on desktops/laptops on a tablet PC, they'll just go make an Android/iOS version instead of sticking with x86 only to make a Metro version.Bonus: They save money on Android devices when compared to Windows RT or 8 releases.
JNo - Thursday, August 15, 2013 - link
But with a convertible tablet you have the *option* - use as a tablet or (for "professional market" use), stick it on to the keyboard part and use a no compromise laptop. It's a win either way.damianrobertjones - Thursday, August 15, 2013 - link
Maybe Windows 8 is the first attempt to push sales. Heck MS had to create the Surface to push Oems into making suitable and acceptable devices. What do we have... The same old same old and at least Acer is trying (Albeit with a very poor W3 and acceptable W510/w700)I PREFER choice and the best choice for ME and others is Windows 8. It affords me access to all of the previous Windows apps along with the new streamlined 'apps'.
rainking430 - Thursday, August 15, 2013 - link
Ummm, that's because they are infants in the mobile space, Jarred. Tablet sales are the way they are because these are 1.0 efforts and the majority of people are ok with what they have. Look at how long the others have been in the space and how much time they've had to hone their product over the years. It's an uphill climb for MS for sure, and Windows 8.0 was half-baked in a lot of ways, but I think MS is in this for the long haul and will eventually find their footing.SpartanJet - Thursday, August 15, 2013 - link
Windows 8 is great for Tablets. I don't think judging an OS on sales is a good metric especially when Windows was last to the party and right now the entry cost is much higher. Windows has an enormous amount of REAL software to choose from not fart apps and microtransaction money grubbing apps like on Android and iOS. If we were talking about Windows RT you might have had a point.I'm going to make the jump once Windows gets a good tablet for under $600. I can't wait to leave Android behind.
JarredWalton - Thursday, August 15, 2013 - link
All of the "real software" for Windows is basically for desktop mode, which is not a good fit for tablet use in my experience. Every time I try to use the touchscreen on a laptop that has one and end up in a desktop app, I reach for the mouse or touchpad. Yes, you can use a tablet and touchscreen (usually), but it's not an optimal experience. It's basically this:Metro App = good for tablet/touchscreen
Desktop = good for traditional PC/mouse and keyboard
When I try to cross over and use a Metro App with keyboard and mouse, it's okay but not always great. When I go the other way and try to use a desktop app with only the touchscreen, however, it's far, far worse.
lmcd - Thursday, August 15, 2013 - link
There are only a few niggles before I'd shell out for a W8 tablet. I'm using Windows 8 on my desktop. If everyone brought their apps to the store already, I'd be even more satisified, but as it stands I'm a huge fan of every Modern component I use.Right now, my primary issues with W8 are my FN keys on my keyboard don't work, and there's no way to go to the start menu with the remaining space while I have an application snapped part-screen.
lmcd - Thursday, August 15, 2013 - link
Oh, and of course a better notification system would be brilliant. But that's not even too horrible.