Acer
Revo Build
Acer
is bringing that idea to the desktop. It's introducing a new PC today called
the Revo Build Series, which starts as a small core block and can then be built
upon by adding new bricks on top of it. Imagine having a vertical tower of Lego
pieces, only with every piece you add, the tower gains a new ability.
Acer
calls these add-ons "blocks." It'll initially be offering blocks with
a 500 GB hard drive, a 1 TB hard drive, a wireless charging dock, a speaker unit,
a GPU, a projector, and a microphone. Additional blocks will be "rolled
out gradually," but Acer doesn't say how often or what's coming next. It
doesn't even say the price of these blocks yet.
People
have always been able upgrade their own computers, but it's always required a
bit of know-how and daring to open up a PC case and risk breaking something.
Acer's Revo Build Series offers that kind of upgradability, but in a way that
ought to be much easier than cracking open a PC. The downside is that you're
highly limited by what it offers. And what Acer offers is limited right from
the start.
This
is a tiny PC — it begins as a 4.92-inch by 4.92-inch brick that's 2.2 inches
tall — and perhaps that's part of why it doesn't go all out on power. It
includes either an Intel Celeron or Pentium processor, so this isn't going to
be a particularly capable machine no matter how you upgrade it. It maxes out at
8GB of RAM, and it isn't stated how powerful that graphics block is going to
be. That base also includes three USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, a DisplayPort,
an SD card reader, and a headphone / microphone jack.
Acer
isn't the first to come up with the idea of a modular PC, but it might have the
first high-profile, consumer-focused one to market. Razer announced similar
ambitions with a concept called Project Christine, but it isn't clear if it's
going anywhere yet. However, the Revo Build Series' first core unit, the
M1-601, will go on sale starting this October. It'll initially be available in
Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, with prices starting at €199; then in
December, it'll arrive in China with prices beginning at ¥ 1,999. It's supposed
to head to the US eventually, too. Acer seems to suggest that more powerful
core blocks could arrive in the future, but this machine seems to be designed
for emerging markets where an affordable and easily upgradable computer could
take off.
