ASUS to add Ultimate and Pro Fashion lines to Eee PCs
updated 04:20 pm EDT, Thu July 31, 2008
ASUS to add two Eee PCs
ASUS plans to add two more lines to the current 11 Eee PC models to address other market segments, Thursday's reports allege, also supporting earlier speculations. ASUS president Jerry Shen shares Intel's beliefs that the netbook and mobile Internet device (MID) markets will grow significantly in the future, to as much as one billion units. The new Ultimate and Pro Fashion Eee PCs will use dual-core Atom processors along with larger storage devices likely to include a 120GB HDD or 32GB SSD.
With the dual-core Intel Atom chips due for a September release and ASUS planning the release of the two models this year, Eee PC shipments are expected to top 1.6 million units in the third quarter of 2008, putting ASUS on track to sell five million Eee PCs annually. Shen noted Intel's commitment to sell its single-core, 1.6GHz Atom N270 processors throughout the second quarter of 2009 for notebooks will give the notebook makers a steady supply of parts.
According to reports, ASUS' Shen said the new S-series Eee PC with a 32GB SSD will come to market before the end of September. As the first Eee PC meant for the high-end market, it will include a 10.1-inch LED screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a battery life of between 4 and 5 hours. Pricing will be in the $700 to $900 range. The thickness of the new 10.1-inch Eee PC is likely to grow compared to the current 10-inch Eee PC 1000, as a stronger lid would be required to keep the weak screens intact.
