ASUS Eee PC 901 priced, reviewed
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Jun 13th 2008 6:34AM
posted Jun 13th 2008 6:34AM
We now have official US pricing for ASUS' new Eee PC lineup. The Eee PC 901 nabs a $599 MSRP for both Linux and Windows XP versions. The pricing for the 1000 and 1000H models is a bit more fluid (read: could change) but is currently pegged at $699 for an Eee PC 1000 (Linux or Windows XP) and $649 for the Windows XP 1000H (H, as in hard disk drive). We'll have to wait and see how that pricing works out for them with MSI's $399 Wind coming later this summer (the $499 XP version in a few days) along side Acer's $400 Aspire One. Oh, and then there's that pesky Dell E-series said to be starting at $299 by the time they ship in August or September. For now you can check the full reviews, which, as you'd expect, see the evolutionary jumps made by the Eee PC 901 universally commended -- especially the 6-cell, 6600mAh battery. Laptop managed to eke-out 4.38-hours (Stuff, well over 5-hours) of life with WiFi turned on -- well short of the 7.8-hours listed by ASUS but much better than previous Eees. Both reviews share our concern: price.Read -- US Pricing
Read -- Laptop review
Read -- Stuff review
EEE Is DDDead.
$599, $699. Thats not at all what made eee popular, thats a standard laptop. What happened to $199, $299.
There's something you don't get. 10 inch *IS* a standard laptop.
10" is NOT a standard laptop (unless you're stuck in the early 90s). A 12" display is at the lower end of what a standard laptop would use.
The Eee has become a joke (price wise). I was really excited about the potential for the 901 series and sold off both of my 701s in anticipation however I will not be buying another Eee. I'll be buying the $299 Dell when it comes out.
they are pricing themselves out of my price range. i bought my 701 because of the price and the size and the functionality at that price point. $700.............. i'll buy a macbook, a msi wind if it shows up for the projected price, with a decent large HD. this is just getting silly, cheap computers going up in price faster than gasoline prices.
You talk of saving money but you want a Macbook?
Thinkpads are cheaper, can run OS X, and offer you more bang for your buck. Not to mention they are stronger (Mg Alloy > Al), the lid locks into the body, and I think they look better. Oh, and they have a Trackpoint and right click button.
I almost feel sorry for Asus. Almost.
At least most other manufacturers got it right, like MSI or Dell
Gontlemen: Let's not all get on our knees for Dell just yet. I recall ASUS didn't completely reveal the true pricing until it was ready for sale. Dell can harp all they want about $299 but until it's actually being sold for that price, please to be passing me the salt shaker.
I want to buy the 901 soo badly, but when does the damn thing come out in the US???
$600 for a laptop with no optical drive is completely unacceptable.
Why do you need an optical drive for anyway?
I wouldn't miss an optical drive in a $600 laptop, nor a $1100 and neither in a $1800 laptop (especially if the latter had gigabit ethernet)
@ Hellios
Have you ever tried to watch a dvd without a dvd drive? How about rip a cd? Install an application you can't download? This may be acceptable in the future, but it isn't yet.
@Eric
if your going to be investing in a *cheap* laptop you could easily invest in to an external DVD-RW for 33 dollars. plus its not like these UMPC are going to be your main system. you wouldnt rip a cd on it even if you could, most applications are downloadable and if you cant download it you'll probably need a faster processor and more ram. im pretty sure its acceptable.
Where did it all go wrong? $600 is outrageous.
I'm curious: I was planning on getting a Wind, but then I stumbled across this:
http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/12839/13863/ecs-hsdpa-broadband-laptop-notebook.phtml
And I wonder, considering how slick it looks and the HDSPA internalized... how come we haven't heard more about that sub-note?
Thats a sweet looking netbook! I wouldn't mind finding more out about that! Definitely looks the part anyway...
Engadget has already had several bits about the ECS notebook.
http://www.engadget.com/search/?q=g10il&searchsubmit=
I have no way of knowing, but that keyboard looks like it could be really nasty to use (two or three millimeters of key travel).
Asus will have no one to blame except themselves when the price = an epic fail. Surely they must be researching the price of other opponents msi, acer or (possibly) dell.
What's the difference in specs between the Linux and XP versions?
they dont wear specs , theyre sub notebooks
I would've still got it if it had delivered on that battery life.
Now it looks like I'm going with the Dell. Or whichever manufacturer realizes first that nub mice are PERFECT for this type of device.
Linux is free, XP is not. Why should they have the same price?
The XP version have a smaller ssd (12G) the linux version have 20G
"Laptop managed to eek-out 4.38-hours (Stuff, well over 5-hours) of life with WiFi turned on -- well short of the 7.8-hours listed by ASUS but much better than previous Eees. Both reviews share our concern: price."
I believe the verbal phrase you're looking for is "eke out."
Early mornings :)
Considering the MSI Wind and Eee 901 will have the same price in the UK, which should I go for?
Neither, wait and see what Dell can dish out.
Shame. I was tempted to buy an eee pc. But at this price im better off with a normal sized laptop
The EEE PC is an ultraportable laptop weighing around 1 kg. If price is the only consideration, then yes, you can get 'normal sized' laptops with more features for the same price. But it will probably weigh at least double that of the EEE. If you don't need portability, then yes, get a normal sized laptop.
For me, the EEE PC 801 still hits the spot as I travel a lot, and take my EEE to work every day.
Shame on Asus. They are trying to take the Eee market and move them over into the old, sub-compact market. How can you charge $600 when the original was $300?
I "was" excited about the new version, but I think I'll skip it. I'll wait for the Dell E.
Asus certainly started this category rolling but have lost their focus.
Now it's Eee(everything) and a little late for such a cash grab when there are so many worthy competitors emerging.
I see the Eee as Eexpensive.
I quickly look at the low priced laptop computer is about the same or even less. In many cases the 'real' laptop is by far a better machine for the same dollar. I was expecting the Eee PC to be a little more competitive on their pricing.
I'd recommend the Sony Vaio TZ series wich can be get for as low as $1000. Especially if you keep your eyes opened this time around. It beats any atom laptop handsdown...
If you're thinking about getting the Lenovo X300 or the MBA then I'd recommend the TZ too. It has more features then the X300, twice the battery life and looks much better. It comes in multiple configurations and is this time a year alot cheaper. When compared to the MBA its just so much better looking, its state of art. And it beats the MBA in every department except brute force. Wich you dont need anyway cause for everyday usage its awesome. Especially if you get the SSD configuration.
Anyone can make the argument that small laptops come at a price premium but this laptop was created with the inspiration of being a $200-$300 alternative. Its definately lost focus and moved alongside the thousands of other similarly priced products. No value added here.
When asked how i can stand the lack of features I want to be able to tell someone the cost and have them be shocked. Now they will most probably laugh.
I was really hopeful for this "race to the bottom" and I planned on buying the first one which at least had an 800x600 screen... now, at ~$600 I am considering just getting a Macbook which isn't much bigger or heavier, has optical, DVI, HDD space, and a long battery life. I'm not even a fan of Macs. My only hope now is the Dell E and I'm even less of a fan of Dell "quality." Ugh. Just gimme a damn 8.9" screen, decent keyboard, no cell/3G/HSDPA crap, and a good wireless card for $199 like originally planned.
Us geeks manage to screw up everything, if we wouldn't stand in lines for months for products that emerge with pricetags double what was stated companies would lower them. But no, we are so happy to throw money at any new 1.0 device that we skyrocket the value and just encourage a million me-toos.
I'd recommend the Sony Vaio TZ instead. Like I said before you could get it for as low as $1000 when sony offers those refunds on older models.
@wilcoholic - give it a break, Mr. Sony. You already plugged it once in this very fread.
Yeah but most of you guys dont the power of TZ. The guys on engadget keep comparing the X300 with the MBA while they ignore the TZ.
The TZ has an extra expresscard slot, twice the battery life, faster processor, more shared video RAM, an extra i.link port, true widescreen ratio, dedicated media buttons, card readers for literally every format out on the market except for CF. And it looks much better then the MBA to boot.
I could hook up that new asus external videocard and do some serious gaming if I wanted because it has an expresscard slot wich the X300 doesnt have. Or I could slip this laptop into my ultra small backpack cause if its small footprint. Whip it out on the bus and enjoy a dvd in true widescreen. The MBA is still too big for that. In my opinion at this point thinness doesnt even matter since the TZ is already razor thin.
So now $1000 laptops are more attractive than this. Where is our $200 pricepoint.
Greedy Asus.
I think the price is worth it. It's still one of the lightest mini notebooks in its category, and has the largest SSD drive as well.
I'm still confused as to why people are considering the EEE line dead. They came out with a laptop of certain specs at $400 dollars. How are they supposed to upgrade the hardware and charge less for it?
But the price point is close to 13" macbook with more features. Though they are not in the same category the macbook is the logical choice for most over the asus.
That has been the argument ever since these mini laptops came out. "Oh, I can find a laptop with a better processor for the same price or $50 more" Of course you can, but it'll be way over 4lbs. Size and weight have always carried a premium in the laptop market, and Asus was the first (as far as I know) to bring a truly ultraportable laptop for a bargain price. Now they are expanding their line and offering more options with updated hardware at an increased price which still trumps other ultraportable options out there, and the response is largely negative.
(why is it that when you reply to a comment using the link you get in your email it doesn't get posted?)
Typical big company losing its way. Asus sold a ton of these little computers at $200-$300. They suddenly think they have a cult following like Apple and can just throw them out there at close to $700.00 and the world will run to them.
People bought these because they were cheap. That's the only reason they bought them.
@ Mile I agree Mr. Sony above is just a troll. Heck, Sony's prices are worse than Apple. At least with Apple you get the slick OS X.
If Dell does stick to its guns, with what we are seeing about their new small laptops, I'll get one of those as soon as they hit the street to supplement my full size notebook.
Unfortunately I am not. And I'll call your bluff on this one. Sony US are offering a $200 refund offer right now on most of their models. You can see it www.sony-style.com. The japanese are even much cheaper. You can get a Sony Vaio TZ as low $1000. As you can see on this website http://www.jp.sonystyle.com/
they start at 150.000 yen. Most local retailers have huge pricerecuctions on older models and sometimes you can combine that with cashback offers from sony.
What I'm doing is basicly not much different then giving a review on a product. I see tons of hype surrounding the MBA and none for the TZ. So I just wanted to bring that to your attention because the TZ is just the best ultraportable notebook. In everyway you look at it. Thats why I'm doing it but ok if you think I'm a troll then I'll just stop right now.
MSI Wind and Acer Aspire FTW!
Hahaha, oh Asus, you kill me.
Looks like it's the MSI Wind or perhaps the Dell E line for me.
Bluff called, you are a troll.
Personally I don't care what you use as a computer. I've seen the tiny keyboard on the TZ and the high price. You argue you can get a good price on a TZ if you find an outdated unit or a used one. Good luck with that.
Sony is not Apple. They can not get Apple's price or user following. They do not have OS X or Apple's ease of use.
The MBA gets hype because it's unique. Personally it does not fill the bill for what I want in a small notebook, but neither does the TZ. I'd just get a MacBook like some have already stated here for those prices. Less even and have something useful and full featured, not to mention fewer headaches with OS X.
Sony's problem is we have have long memories of what they have pulled on the consumer time and time again. High prices, proprietary formats, lousy user interfaces. Yes, PS3 or HDR-TG1 camera. Stop programing Sony like it's 1990 and it's a dos world. Oh, how's that root kit crap working out for you guys?
pardon my french, but:
fuck you, asus. just.... fuck you.
Perhaps if MSI or Dell had created competing products back in November, they would have been cheaper than the original Eee. What we're seeing now is probably not Asus jacking up prices arbitrarily, but the sad fact that Asus was never really in a position to be price-competitive with MSI or Dell on the same playing field.
Asus had the market all to themselves for 8 months. Now the big dogs have come to play, and they can afford to build cheaper than Asus can. Not really Asus' fault. Bless 'em for creating this market in the first place.