It may look and act like a MacBook, but Acer's new laptop falls short of its mark
05.02.12
And there’s no DVD drive, because you’ll use Wi-Fi to download software, or plug an external drive into one of the S3’s two USB ports. Apple future-proofed its laptops by adding Thunderbolt, a superfast new data interface for plugging in external devices. You won’t get a Thunderbolt port on the S3, but there’s an HDMI port for hooking up to a high-definition TV. The keyboard isn’t illuminated, as on the MacBooks, but that’s no big deal. On the MacBook Air, Apple lets you install software by connecting to a DVD-equipped computer. There’s no place to plug in an Ethernet cord, because the designers assume you’ll use Wi-Fi wireless networking. You’ll have to copy your disk-based software to a USB device before installing.