Asus spills more details on the 9-inch Eee

In a recent interview, Asus CEO Jerry Shen talked up the company's newest edition to the Eee family, and also dropped a few more details on the forthcoming laptop. Apparently, the new set of miniature PCs will up the SSD capacity, with sizes ranging from 8GB in the XP-equipped model, up to 12GB or 20GB in the Linux versions -- though it's hard to say why the smaller-footprint Linux would need more drive space. Shen also revealed that there are tentative plans to release WiMAX and HSDPA-enabled models sometime in Q3 of 2008, and he confirmed that come May the company will trade up to Intel's Diamondville (er, Atom) chips. In addition, more colors are on the way, and the base price in the US will be $499 at launch -- though that figure is expected to drop in the following months.

[Via Eee Site]

[Syliss @ Mar 9th 2008 7:35PM]

None of the EEE PC's have VIA cpu, gah wtf is wrong with people.... I just hope the price is that or cheaper!!

[Thanol @ Mar 9th 2008 7:55PM]

Yeah, the editorial quality of this place is HORRIBLE. I'll bet half the editors only got their jobs because they were supposedly "good writers."

[packetsniffer @ Mar 9th 2008 9:18PM]

And evidently they once again silently rowback to make the mistake disappear, and you get left looking like a tool. Ah, journalism at its finest!

[Cal @ Mar 9th 2008 9:29PM]

It'll be because the source says:

"Shen revealed that the low-cost notebook platform will adopt Intel’s Diamondville processor in Q2 rather than VIA’s mobile computing platform."

Even though he actually said that they will continue with Intel, sort of implying that is wasn't VIA beforehand...

[McLogic @ Mar 9th 2008 9:44PM]

The Eee can get cheaper w/o going to VIA chips. I bet ASUS is taking a chunk of profit at these prices. While the build quality is OK, the parts are cheap and the screens are low- resolution and about 93 candela per meter squared (a good laptop screen is 200-350 these days).

I bet the price will drop when the NoahPad and CloudBook are out with larger hard disks and cool features.

[Zach @ Mar 9th 2008 11:32PM]

on the actual article, it says something like "we will continue to use intel as opposed to the VIA computing platform"

but on both giz and here, they make it (now its made for here, but giz is still wrong right now) seem like asus is MOVING AWAY FROM VIA, when just about everyone, except those unlucky souls who haven't been keeping up and get swayed from articles like this one, know thats just not the case.

[arthur barnhouse @ Mar 9th 2008 7:35PM]

"n addition, more colors are on the way, and the base price in the US will be $499 at launch -- though that figure is expected to drop in the following months."

I suspect it'll have about as good a price drop as the 701

[Brian Cassin @ Mar 9th 2008 7:38PM]

"...will carry SSDs as opposed to the flash memory..."
I assume you mean HDDs as opposed to the flash memory...

[Rollins @ Mar 9th 2008 7:54PM]

The original article says SSDs in 8/12/20GB configurations, but also leaves open the possibility of Asus giving consumers the choice of an HDD.

[Homeboy @ Mar 9th 2008 8:00PM]

No.

Flash memory = memory embedded on the motherboard/circuit board.

SSD = Solid State Drive which can be swapped out like HDD.

[Brian Cassin @ Mar 9th 2008 8:01PM]

I didn't expect there to be a distinction between flash based SSDs and embedded flash memory, but that makes sense now.

[NG @ Mar 9th 2008 7:41PM]

Q3??? i am pretty sure they will delay it again for a couple of months

[Flashpoint @ Mar 9th 2008 7:42PM]

I'd take one of these with a 20GB SSD over a Mac Book Air.

Ultraportable, more connectivity = none of Apple's bullshit.

[MaGiXX @ Mar 9th 2008 7:44PM]

You could actually take 3 or 4.

[phrozunsun @ Mar 11th 2008 9:23AM]

we have a winner!

the MBA is totally impractical. Not enough features to do anything worthwhile, too big to be a real UMPC and too expensive compared to anything in either market.

I love how jobs tries to tout it's big screen as a feature. lol. that's exactly the problem: big screen = awkward to carry. I want something that's like a small novel, not something that fits in a manilla envelope...

[Cal @ Mar 9th 2008 9:31PM]

Ah but you forgot one very important feature of the MBA, Apple make it, and everyone knows that alone instantly makes it a must have or a thousand times better than the competition...

[CraigJ @ Mar 9th 2008 9:37PM]

Here we go with the same old lame Eee / Air comparison. The 2 systems are not in the same class. I'm not defending Apple's Air as a good idea, I think they missed the point with it and I would have preferred to see a 12" as thin as possible but with ports MBP (basically a MPB version of the X300 with a 12" screen), and I won't be getting one, However, the specs on the Air vs. the Eee are not even close. The screen size isn't close, the amount of memory and storage space isn't close, the processor spec isn't close. The design isn't close. The two systems are just not comparable in a really meaningful way, and are aimed at 2 different market segments. Apple deserves some bashing for the Air IMO; I say this as an Apple shareholder, but the Eee/Air comparison is simply stupid.

[phrozunsun @ Mar 11th 2008 9:23AM]

what exactly is the target market for the Air?

If it's UMPC buyers, they failed miserably to meet their needs. it's too big.

If it's the grandma trying to e-mail her grandkids, then they missed the boat entirely. too expensive, and I doubt granny cares if it fits in an envelope.

If it's a mac power-user (aka a graphics/video guy), then the machine is severly underpowered.

Even for the casual user, there's not enough usb, no firewire, and no dvd drive.

The only concievable market is the mac fanboy then that's trying to load songs on his overpriced iPhone using terribly bloated music management software (iTunes). He's got too much of daddy's money to blow, but likes to wear zip up hoodies, graphic tees and ripped jeans to show that he can be "real" and fit in with all the normal people. He thinks that by buying a mac he's special, yet part of a wholesome family.

"you are not special, you are the same decaying organic matter as everyone else." - Tyler Durden, Fight Club

[YoYoYo @ Mar 9th 2008 9:54PM]

"The screen size isn't close, the amount of memory and storage space isn't close, the processor spec isn't close.... The two systems are just not comparable in a really meaningful way"

They get compared because, prior to the MBA announcement, everyone expected Apple to do something halfway intelligent and ship something borderline-comparable to the EEE, at the very least in form factor. The MBA is actually BIGGER in terms of width and height than the regular MacBooks - a huge let down, IMHO. That said, they could have produced something with comparable specs all around - They could have stripped their OS down to something in between the iPhone version of Mac OS-X and the desktop builds.

[Randavance @ Mar 9th 2008 11:29PM]

agreed.

Having grown up using only Linux I figure I'll figure that I'll feel right at home when I take one of these babys to college in the fall (I just hope they get them out in time). I can't wait to watch the poor students who's rich parents bought them an air carefully carrying the $1,800 sheet of metal in fear of snapping it in half.

[CraigJ @ Mar 10th 2008 12:34AM]

"The only concievable market is the mac fanboy then that's trying to load songs on his overpriced iPhone using terribly bloated music management software (iTunes). He's got too much of daddy's money to blow, but likes to wear zip up hoodies, graphic tees and ripped jeans to show that he can be "real" and fit in with all the normal people. He thinks that by buying a mac he's special, yet part of a wholesome family."

Could you possible make any more stereotypical assumptions in a single sentence?

[Simon @ Mar 10th 2008 10:06AM]

@ phrozunsun

Talk about a false dichotomy!
Nice list of target users! lol! U chose a bunch of customers who are very unlikely (grandma, powerusers etc) and threw in the fanboy to complete the argument!!!

The Macbook Air is marketed at the rich, overpaid showoff types. People who want to work and have something supercool (thinnest notebook in the WORLD!!!) to boast about and don't really care about the price, expensive equals quality. USB ports don't matter because this is going to be a 2nd computer, to take with them out in their little designer $500 portfolio bags.

There are a lot of people who fit this, maybe not the biggest market segment, but at the top end of the scale, a high price tag and low numbers can be as profitable as a low margin and huge sales figures. Also, it got Apple a lot of press, which gets more people interested in the brand.

While I can understand the dislike it has received from most readers here as it it generally useless for the things we can think of, I think it is shortsighted for people to attack Apple so much about it, when in a business sense, it could actually be a good idea.

I personally would prefer something like the Eee PC, this new 9 incher is sounding like perfection as the 7" model was never going to cut it for me with all that bezel. Throw in a touch screen and have it at

[phrozunsun @ Mar 11th 2008 10:44AM]

@ CraigJ: It's paragraph, not sentence, fanboy.

@ Simon: I listed the only markets it could vaugely appeal to. (I.E. people who would want something "ultraportable" (UMPC), underpowered (Granny), or just a Mac (Graphics and Video Guys). I even tried to give it a chance with the casual user, knowing sometimes they'll buy any old piece of crap.

[Moo2 @ Apr 1st 2008 3:03PM]

@Randavance

yeah, im right there with you. i hope they get this out soon enough before college either to:
A) drop the prices in the 701
B) just come out so i can buy one

[Mark @ Mar 9th 2008 7:44PM]

"though it's hard to say why the smaller-footprint Linux would need more drive space"

It doesn't NEED more drive space, you just get more for the same money because your not paying for Windows.

[sinai @ Mar 9th 2008 9:16PM]

my thoughts exactly. don't forget, windows xp pro is still retailing for ~$300.

[RC @ Mar 9th 2008 9:44PM]

I thought it was that the Linux distro was smaller and so there was more left over for blank HD space?

[ethana2 @ Mar 9th 2008 11:37PM]

If people start figuring OS overhead into printed hard drive specs, I'ma be angry. I still resent that they use 'one billion bytes' for a gigabyte when I really want to know how many binary gigabytes are on it, like with RAM and such.

...but mostly because they'd assume people used windows, like as not. No thanks.

[Maurice @ Mar 10th 2008 9:51AM]

Exactly. I believe it's just to offset the cost.

It's going to be rather interesting to see people piss on a new XP machine with a 9" screen, 8GB SSD drive, Wifi and is under 4 pounds that retails for less $700 when not too long ago something like that would have retailed for easily over $2000... but then these are the Engadget boards.

[PSV @ Mar 9th 2008 7:45PM]

The new 9" Eee PCs do look great, but I think they're still going to be a tad on the expensive side for me. Still, if I'm ever able to get a 20GB one with an Atom proessor for

[PSV @ Mar 9th 2008 7:47PM]

The new 9" Eee PCs do look great, but I think they're still going to be a tad on the expensive side for me. Still, if I'm ever able to get a 20GB one with an Atom proessor for less than £300, then I'd be more than ready to part with the cash! It's be great to take travelling, and I'd guess much more durable than my current MacBook.

[m @ Mar 9th 2008 8:29PM]

that macbook already wiped out your savings, eh?

[angelicbeef @ Mar 9th 2008 8:09PM]

yay, my eee will have a family now!

[iofthestorm @ Mar 9th 2008 8:14PM]

Wow, if it wasn't for the ECS G10L I would certainly be getting the EeePC 900, but if the ECS machine has comparable specs I'll snap that up instead, because it looks so much nicer and rocks that 7.2Mbps HSDPA card. It looks like this one will have HSDPA too though, so maybe that's a moot point. Of course, WiMax is also a good option depending on which becomes more prevalent in the future.

[David @ Mar 10th 2008 6:53AM]

Personally, I'd much rather buy an ASUS product than an "ECS" product. Who or what is an "ECS"? Had you ever heard of them before this product announcement?

Seems silly to me!

[iofthestorm @ Mar 10th 2008 7:15PM]

You haven't? To be honest, I wouldn't buy an ECS product anyway, but I know who they are. They make the cheap motherboards that are usually given away with CPUs at Fry's Electronics, which is a large warehouse type electronics retailer. Of course, for the average person Asus is a nobody too, even though they make laptops for Apple and stuff (at least, I think they do anyway).

[Background info @ Apr 1st 2008 9:53AM]

ECS in just the fourth biggest

Quote from their website:
"ECS, the Elitegroup Computer Systems, has been a pioneer in designing and manufacturing computer motherboards since 1987. It was the first motherboard maker in Taiwan to be listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange in 1994. Today, the company also designs and manufactures barebone and complete systems, such as notebook computers and high-end servers, for distributors worldwide."

Quote from wikipedia:
"Elitegroup Computer Systems (or ECS) is a Taiwan-based electronics firm. It is the fourth largest PC motherboard manufacturer in the world (after Asus, Gigabyte Technology, and MSI), with production reaching 24 million units in 2002. Many of these motherboards have been produced for OEM customers and are used in systems assembled and sold by such brand-name companies as IBM and Compaq."

Just for your information...

[Sam @ Mar 9th 2008 8:18PM]

Is an SSD superior to flash memory, because i always thought they were the same.

[oZone @ Mar 9th 2008 8:23PM]

SSDs can be replaced with larger SSDs. Before, the flash memory was soldered to the mobo.

[Tony @ Mar 9th 2008 8:24PM]

Also "an" goes before words that begin with vowels, not consonants.

[m @ Mar 9th 2008 8:37PM]

"an" may be used with "s," when the letter is used as a word. say it out loud, and i think you will find that it begins with a vowel sound. sucker.

[Wolfticket @ Mar 9th 2008 8:40PM]

Actually, in the pronunciation of "SSD", "S" is actually pronounced "es". Meaning that the word does actually begin with a vowel sound, if not a letter, so "an SSD" is correct. If you want to argue the point you can just ring the FBI and talk to an FBI agent about it.

[roach @ Mar 9th 2008 9:04PM]

Actually, Tony "the grammar Nazi"...maybe you need to break out your grammar book again... when an acronym begins with a vowel "sound" (S like 'ESS'), you use AN instead of A.

You may continue...

[roach @ Mar 9th 2008 9:05PM]

God, I love that all those comments happened so fast.

[Reader @ Mar 9th 2008 9:23PM]

Wow, epic fail Tony. Stay in school please.

[Tony @ Mar 10th 2008 1:55AM]

I read SSD as solid-state drive, so in my head it was "an solid...". If that clarifies anything, not that it matters to any of you since you've already made up your minds.

[David @ Mar 10th 2008 7:00AM]

Tony, even your lame "explanation" doesn't qualify your "correction" as anything other than "wrong".

It's a shame when one encounters people such as yourself who are in such short supply of self-esteem that they can't ever admit when they're wrong, when they absolutely are.

Who cares what your was going on in your head? It's all about what you wrote, the fact that it was incorrect and the mean-spirited manner in which you wrote it.

[Ricardo @ Mar 10th 2008 7:09AM]

Actually from what I have heard Eee's memory is kind of a compact flash card with a IDE interface. Don't know if that qualifies as SSD, but what I think the new version will have is a "pure" SSD solution, which will probably be faster (some SSDs can reach speeds higher than 100 mb/s) and more reliable.

[CosterMonger @ Mar 10th 2008 5:05PM]

@TONY: who appointed you the role GRAMMAR POLICE, this is a F***ing forum, not a book report.
kudos for getting it wrong too.

[Tony @ Mar 11th 2008 12:34AM]

So I need to beg for forgiveness everytime I get something wrong? I wanted to explain why I wrote what I did, and I did so without being an ass about it. But it's okay for everyone else to be a dick.