Acer is taking on the Surface and MacBook with its new Windows 10 devices

At an event in New York today, Acer announced announced a series of new Windows 10-powered devices.

First up is its own take on the 2-in-1 Windows laptop, the Switch Alpha 12. The Surface-clone device uses full fledged Intel Core i processors, which it’s able to do thanks to some thermal chops (a recurring theme for the event).

In other words, the device is completely fan-less: it uses liquid cooling to stay at reasonable temperatures without making any noise. Otherwise it seems to be your standard Surface clone, including a backlit keyboard, kickstand, and stylus support.

Meanwhile, the company promised to take on Apple at ‘half the price’ with its S 13 “ultrathin” notebook. It’s powered by Skylake processors, has a Full HD 13-inch IPS display (with optional touch support). It’s also a metal design in either black or white, and Acer claims it will last you a full 13 hours of use. The best part? It starts at $699.

The 💜 of EU tech

The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!

For those who need more power, there’s the 15-inch R 15, which can be configured with up to 12GB of RAM and a GeForce 940MX dedicated graphics processor.

It’s also convertible, which should make it better for watching movies in your bed, of if you want a 15-inch tablet for any reason.

For gamers, there’s a new Predator 17X gaming notebook, which uses a “custom triple-fan cooling system” as well as Nvidia GTX980 graphics card.

Note that it’s not the 980M; it’s a full fledged, VR ready desktop card, and Acer even encourages overclocking it.

If you’re a desktop gamer, the new G1 gaming desktop supports full-sized GTX graphics card, including the Titan X, and up 64 GB of DDR4 RAM.

The real story is how small it is, sized more like your typical office tower thanks to Acer’s thermal expertise. In an odd promotion, the company is building luggage for the desktop as well.

The company announced a few other laptops, including a new “military-grade” Chromebook; head on over to Acer for more info.