Acer Ferrari 3200 Info

Some of this is going to be redundant, but I just got off the phone with a very helpful guy from Acer's sales line and thought I'd share what I learned with others out there considering the Acer Ferrari 3200.

1) The Ferrari (in the sales info guy's honest opinion) will not get over 4 hours of battery life. It should, however, have no trouble with 3+.

2) Both the HD and the RAM can be replaced without voiding the warranty. The warranty will not, however, cover the new HD and RAM (naturally).

3) The suggested retail price for the system is $1999. This was suprising, because of the 8 US merchants I have found selling it, at least 4 are selling it for more than $2000.

4) Contrary to what was being said previously (I heard the 15th of this month - two days ago), the Ferrari does not ship until the 25th. Curious again, as one of the websites I found lists the item as "In Stock." To quote the sales info guy, this is "highly doubtful." I suspect for reasons involving merchant-manufacturer relationships he cannot out-and-out call it BS.

5) Even if you order it the 25th, it might not arrive so quick. He said it is on backorder (I'm not sure if he meant for all merchants, in general, or what).

6) Almost half the inquiry calls they've received this week have been about (at least in part) the Ferrari 3200.

7) I'm getting one.

That's all. I hope it helps anyone looking for info on this system. I, myself, have all but decided on buying it. I just hope Buy.com offers it (which the sales guy also informed is more than likely as they are an official Acer retailer) - this is purely because I have a Buy.com visa and get 3% reward kickback.

If they don't have it by the 25th or their price isn't competitive enough, PCTorque here I come.

You're right there. If you think about it, it's only logical. If you steal a bright red Ferrari or Porsche, there's no hiding it. Steal a black Honda Civic and no one will even blink an eye. Only hypothetically, suppose you're the pawn broker/car dealer or the buyer of a used car or laptop. If someone shows up with an Accord (or in the case of the laptop, say a Dell or an IBM), you don't even ask why they're selling it. If someone shows up with a high-performace car (or laptop) in an flashy, attractive color, you're more likely to make inquiries.

In the end, I guess it all boils down to how careful the owner of anything is with his property. I think, perhaps owning a nicer looking laptop will necessarily make you treat it better. Let's face it most people who own (stock) Accords/Taurases/etc don't take *exceptional* care of them. On the other hand, how often do you see a Ferrari without a fresh coat of wax and a brilliant shine? If you were to own a shinny laptop like the Acer Ferrari (which, incidentally, has three coats of genuine Ferrari red paint and a layer of clear coat), you'd almost be forced to take better care of it (in regards to both protecting it from the elements/damage and theft) than if you owned your regular run of the mill black or gray laptop.

Just my two cents.