ASUS CEO talks Fold/Unfold release, pricing
updated 01:15 pm EDT, Mon March 23, 2009
Chen on ASUS Fold/Unfold
The concept ASUS Fold/Unfold notebook PCs will see mass production in the second half of this year, company CEO Jerry Shen said when speaking to TechRadar in a Friday report. Chen also said the notebook will create a new category, not unlike the MacBook Air, thanks to its stylish, unique and functional design. The notebook will be a more affordable PC alternative to the MacBook Air, with Chen promising it will be available between September and October with prices expected to fall between $1,000 and $1,500.
The CEO also offered that, like the "Seashell" Eee PC 1008HA, a lithium-polymer battery will be offered with the Fold/Unfold to give it as much as five hours of operation despite its slim profile.
Chen also said its future Eee PCs will ship with the Windows 7 operating system, when Microsoft releases it, as the company is already testing the new operating system. The Eee T91 touchscreen PC will also use Windows 7, as it has native touch support built-in.
As for the OLED dual-screen concept PC also shown at CeBIT, Chen says it is still being considered for production. "OLED is still very expensive," he said, adding the concept can work as a dual-screen monitor or with one screen acting as a virtual touch keyboard while the other is the display. Chen made it clear the dualscreen touch concept notebook will not launch this year.
