Acer Aspire S3-951-6646 13.3-Inch HD Display Aluminum Ultrabook (credits: Amazon.com)

Better late than never. It seems like the monopoly of Apple and its MacBook Air on the ultrabook market is slowly coming to an end. PC makers are finally realising that in a world where users are increasingly mobile, there is a real need for portable devices that can actually be used without having to come 2 inches away from your screen to be able to decipher the text that is being displayed (damn you netbooks!).

Acer recently made a huge step in that direction with the launch of the long awaited Aspire S3. While I have never been a big fan of the Taiwan-based company in the past, this new device might encourage me to reconsider my position. Its design is sexy and perfectly combines some very elegant lines with a solid body made of an alloy of magnesium and aluminium (not plastic!). The Acer Aspire S3 is only 0,5″ thin and just under 3 lbs. It has a wide 13.3 HD display and is equipped with a powerful i5 1.6 GHz processor. Acer also included The Instant On feature supposed to wake up the beast from its deep sleep in less than 1.5 seconds. Oh, and it also comes at a price of $899, $400 lower than the MacBook Air.

But do not run to the store just yet, Acer is not the only one trying to dethrone Apple in the Kingdom of the ultrabooks. Asus is also keen on grabbing a piece of the pie – and possibly a lawsuit or two against Apple – and also revealed its very own ultrabook, the UX21. This long saga might only be starting…