Acer's Android netbook to dual boot XP

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 5 Jun 2009 at 11:15

Acer's Android netbook will dual boot with Windows XP, as the company chooses the "safer option".

Acer's announcement that it would launch a netbook running Android this summer prompted speculation that Microsoft might soon have a real challenger in a market it currently dominates.

However, speaking at Computex, Acer's president JT Wang has claimed the "lack of consumer acceptance for Android" makes it difficult for the company to offer a solely Android netbook.

Instead Acer plans to gauge public appetite for the dual-boot netbooks and then reconsider its strategy.

The comments echo those of Microsoft's corporate vice-president Steve Guggenheimer, who claimed Android still wasn't ready for the big time due to a lack of device compatibility.

The news will undoubtedly frustrate the Android community, which has already watched Asus hurriedly distance itself from an Android netbook, despite showing one off at Computex.

On the bright side, an Acer spokesperson has confirmed the company is likely to offer Android on the majority of Acer netbooks in the future.