“World’s thinnest Ultrabook” has flip-out Thunderbolt port

Acer has laid early claim to the “world’s thinnest Ultrabook” crown here at CES, thanks to a new model with I/O ports that flip out of the ultrathin-laptop.

The Acer Aspire S5 measures only 15mm at its thinnest point at the front, but the party trick occurs at the rear of the ultrathin laptop. Hold down the “MagicFlip” button on the keyboard, and the previously concealed I/O ports emerge from a flap at the rear.

Those ports include a 20Gbits/sec Thunderbolt port, still a rarity on Windows laptops, plus a HDMI and USB 3 port.

The 13.3in Aspire S5 weighs only 1.35kg, and resumes from standby in less than 1.5 seconds, according to Acer – a half second improvement on its first-generation Ultrabook, the Aspire S3.

Acer has refined the design for the S3, which still sports the brushed-metal finish of its predecessor, but is now in an attractive dark black.

Further details of the specification and and price have yet to be announced, with the Aspire S5 not due to be launched until the second quarter of this year.

Timeline Ultras

Acer announced two further Ultrabooks at its CES press conference: the Aspire Timeline Ultra, which comes in both 14in and 15in models.

Spec details are fairly thin on the ground for this pair of laptops, with Acer only confirming that they will support the “latest Core i” processors, suggesting we might get a surprise announcement at tomorrow’s Intel press conference.

The new models are 20mm thick, and have a claimed battery life in excess of eight hours. They include both HDMI and USB 3 ports, but not the Thunderbolt port of the S5.

They are due to launch in Q1, but prices haven’t been announced.

Acer chairman and CEO, JT Wang, cited the new Ultrabooks as the “number one reason” why his company would prosper despite the economic gloom. He said that by the end of this year, 25-30% of Acer’s laptop shipments will be Ultrabooks.