Eee hard drive, optical drive, and 3G card continue to reduce meaning of Eee brand

Okay, so there's clearly a tube that dispenses marshmallows to the ASUS marketing department whenever it comes up with another product to slap the Eee brand on, because this just getting silly. In addition to the countless Eee laptops, Eee Box desktop, Eee monitor, Eee televisions, and other Eee-branded crap, we're hearing the company is working on a line of accessories, including an external hard drive, optical drive, and WWAN card. None of this is official quite yet, but knowing ASUS, it'll be out in 30 different varieties by the end of the month.

[Oliver @ Jul 24th 2008 4:10PM]

I'm just waiting to get my self an eeecar to go with my eeehouse, eeewii, and eeephone

[Steve @ Jul 24th 2008 5:03PM]

eeebidet, eeetoothbrush, eeenailclippers, eeetrimmers, eeewax for the ladies, eeebrushes, eeetowels...

all part of the new Asus subdivision, eeehygiene!

eee-xciting, really.

eee"toys" next?

[Samboini @ Jul 24th 2008 6:04PM]

Meh, i'm holding out for eeecstasy.

[JJV @ Jul 24th 2008 4:10PM]

This is similar to the "i" products. Kind of like Asus take on Apple....

[Eli @ Jul 24th 2008 4:55PM]

Except that the "i" brand was a good marketing idea.

[Anthony @ Jul 24th 2008 5:33PM]

I agree, Eli. The Eee PC has hardly been considered a success. I mean, that is unless you go by sales, the quick "me too's" from virtually every other company & massive amount of additional name recognition the company now has.

[Hawkman @ Jul 24th 2008 5:53PM]

You've got a point, but then - the i-branding that came from Apple was rolled out over a period of many years, and has spawned a series of products that are brands in their own right: iPod, iPhone and iMac, to name a few. I challenge you to name, from memory, 10% of all the Eee-branded stuff that's come out in the last month or so alone! This is a pretty good demonstration of how not to handle a successful brand.

[Anthony @ Jul 24th 2008 5:56PM]

@Hawkman- today's product timelines are compressed. Your parents (surely my parents) bought things, kept them forever. Now every thing's disposable. Gotta move quickly once you get a hit or you lose your moment.

[ShadowKain @ Jul 25th 2008 1:36PM]

Except that they suck at it...

[Conor Maher @ Jul 24th 2008 4:11PM]

woah! Now i can get a tiny underpowered notebook and all its accessories for only $1000 !!!111q1

The eee stopped being cool when it approached the price of a real notebook

[retro77 @ Jul 24th 2008 5:19PM]

$1000? really? Got proof?

[TheGasMan @ Jul 24th 2008 6:23PM]

@ Retro77
$853.39 with these mods:
* USB hubs - 11.20 USD
* GPS module - 36.70 USD
* Bluetooth - 5.65 USD
* SDHC card reader - 6.45 USD
* Adata SDHC 8 GB - 74.50 USD
* Corsair VoyagerGT 4 GB USB drive - 90.94 USD
* Switch + Prototypingboards - 2.66 + 30.10 USD
* Intel Wireless adapter - 62.69 USD
* Airplay FM transmitter - 14.98 USD
* Conexant Modem - 11.89 USD
* Crucial 2 GB DDR2 module - 106.62 USD
http://clumpc.com/?p=30

So yeah, getting close to $1000 when Asus markets the stuff.

[Nick @ Jul 24th 2008 7:32PM]

@TheGasMan

You forgot all the Eee branded stuff.

[jason @ Jul 24th 2008 4:10PM]

lol fail @ asus

[kal326 @ Jul 24th 2008 4:11PM]

"Okay, so there's clearly a tube that dispenses marshmallows to the ASUS marketing department whenever it comes up with another product to slap the Eee brand on, because this just getting silly. "

It's white and it comes out of a tube, but I'm not so sure its marshmallows. That or I have been buying the wrong kind of "marshmallows".

[Ninjakamster (PS360 FTW!) @ Jul 24th 2008 4:13PM]

Now just give me an EEEoilet to symbolize where this brand is exactly going.

What the hell are you doing Asus?

[matt @ Jul 24th 2008 4:14PM]

Umm, making what their customers want....

[Samboini @ Jul 24th 2008 6:04PM]

matt; I don't want to say you're wrong, but i'm living proof they aren't.

[thedesolate1 @ Jul 24th 2008 4:13PM]

WTF are they thinking??? who came up with this nonsense? whats next EEE Mice? stuffed animals? Floppy Drives!? 56k modems?

[Sam Stone @ Jul 24th 2008 4:17PM]

My penis is like a floppy drive... Small and not really used anymore

[tekman94 @ Jul 24th 2008 4:31PM]

@ Samstone. I think i just wet myself laughing

[Sam Stone @ Jul 24th 2008 4:39PM]

I wouldn't do that to often, or your penis may become as redundent as mine.

[neofolklore @ Jul 25th 2008 8:51AM]

HAHAHHAA WOWWWW WHO SAYS THAT rofl

[Pizzicato @ Jul 24th 2008 4:17PM]

Yeah, it’s really bad, to get a matching drive for your laptop. I always hated the superdrive.

[Dagreenman18 @ Jul 24th 2008 4:22PM]

they can sell a Eee Sandwich for all i care. WHEN IS EEE BOX COMING TO THE STATES?!

[Qasim Riaz @ Jul 24th 2008 4:20PM]

Maybe the marketing department considers EEE to be extremely efficient equipment?!

[Anthony @ Jul 24th 2008 5:35PM]

Efficient indeed. Just think of all the letters they're saving!

[lindtdale @ Jul 24th 2008 4:22PM]

Why can't they just change their name from ASUS to EEE? really? it's pointless! they removed the name ASUS in their EEE PC cover and replace it with EEE!

[bot @ Jul 24th 2008 4:47PM]

Yeah, that would make alot of sense cause that is the only line of products they sell. Forgot about their extensive line of motherboards, other notebook models, desktops, video cards, sound cards, to name just a few.

All this irrational Eee hate is really getting to me, and is just downright annoying. I guess Sony is watering down their Vaio branding because they have like... what, NINE different laptop models under that name. That doesn't include desktop models. I guess if things were up to this Engadget writer, all laptop brands would just offer 1 or 2 models.

[Danny F. @ Jul 24th 2008 4:24PM]

I wonder if ASUS execs are looking at these articles, because they seriously need to realize wtf they are doing as a business. Its like they started with an idea and it ran great at first, but now they got their d$#k wet and are now starting f%cking up fast and quick,,, making a 2413125 different version just popping crap out wasting $$ for no reason when 90% of the consumers will be the same variation between them all. Leaving like a million different variations sitting on shelves or storage forwever...

I hate you ASUS, you use to be cool but now you suck... )-;

[Samboini @ Jul 24th 2008 6:21PM]

Danny, i'm curious as to your comic book letter replacements so you are not actually typing out an expletive. Do your parents read this?!

[Danny F. @ Jul 25th 2008 2:48PM]

I'm 23.....but thank you for your concern... I guess :-/ ???

[Kaiser-Machead @ Jul 24th 2008 4:36PM]

And the Inspiron Mini (Dell E/Deli) is already poised to pwn this increasingly obscured brand, along with MSI and others. It's kind of sad to see Asus lose focus like this, because they were part of the inspiration for this sudden uprising of cheap minibooks, and now they're flooding their own lines with meaningless crap and increasingly expensive hardware.

If I were to put my money on any of these cheapo miniature laptops, I'd probably just shoot for Dell's version. They've already started working with Hardy Heron so that it works out-of-the-box with their systems, and it's not part of some stupid little mini-brand branching out.

[Reader @ Jul 24th 2008 4:39PM]

Man ASUS, you were so cool just a few months back. What happened?

[Mike C @ Jul 24th 2008 4:45PM]

I think they found daddy's pleather pant's from the 80's.

[Sam Stone @ Jul 24th 2008 4:55PM]

....or there sexually frustrated

[Brian @ Jul 25th 2008 11:54AM]

Oh, come on Sam. Your post was four words long but you couldn't be bothered to proof-read it?

[Timmy @ Jul 24th 2008 4:43PM]

How is this any different then a company like, lets say Sony, slaps a brand on a variety of products. They are just trying to get a toe in every ass across the electronics and computer markets.

[SOOPERGOOMAN @ Jul 24th 2008 4:46PM]

I for one think ASUS are doing a great job at keeping markets full of low cost options. Think about it for a second, if all the other companies had just one or two of each device out there. Demand would be high but along comes good ole ASUS and WAM! Flood the market with products so that the competitors have no idea of what they can really truly compete with. I say bring it on with even more gadgets and accessories with the Asus brand splashed all over the front of it like some sort of technological orgasm overdrive.

[Greg @ Jul 24th 2008 4:55PM]

So... companies like GE, Microsoft, Panasonic, Sony and a thousand others can crank out zillions of different products with their names on them but ASUS can't use what has become their most well known trade name, eee? Not to mention that eee has almost singlehandedly pushed the likes of Dell, HP, Acer and others into a very exciting market segment. It is nice to see a company take risks, innovate and shake up the status quo.

[aron @ Jul 24th 2008 5:01PM]

I'm confused as well, dell makes tons of inspirons, and sony has a whole line up of Vaio laptops, computers, monitors PLUS accessories such as mice, laptop sleeves and what not. What's wrong with a line of EEE stuff?

[retro77 @ Jul 24th 2008 5:37PM]

+1 Greg.

[John @ Jul 24th 2008 5:50PM]

It's mainly because the Eee PC was known for being small, cheap, and straightforward. No money spent on design, no frills, just straight internet compatibility with a free OS. The 700 hit the nail on the head with netbooks without even trying. This was their downfall. The underground success of the Eee PC gave them too much confidence in their brand, and now they're pumping out just as much bullshit as all of the companies you mentioned at the more-or-less the same prices as large companies, foolishly thinking that their tech-savvy customer base doesn't know any better.

[Abuzar Baloach @ Jul 24th 2008 10:42PM]

Do you see a Inspiron Bluetooth adapter? Inspiron Monitor? It's good to come out with different kinds of notebook/netbook models and put EEE on them. But if you making a 1:1 comparison with Dell, Sony, etc, then they should put ASUS on the monitors. You don't see a Sony Vaio TV do you? No it's Sony Bravia, etc.

So basically if it's branding computers with EEE that's fine. But when putting it on other products it's diluting the image.

[ilh @ Jul 25th 2008 8:45AM]

So what about the iPod. Apparently all the bzillions of accessories are a big plus for it yet why aren't they seen as diluting the brand? These eee accessories are no different to the "Made for iPod" or whatever it's called "brand" of accessories, just lets people know that they're made specifically for the eee.

What does eee mean? Easy to work, learn and play (which the eees still are so I wish people would shut up about Asus losing focus of the original concept/philosophy/whatever else you're all saying they're losing focus of). Who are you to say that it can only be applied to computers? There's plenty of brands out there that are applied to how something is (e.g. easy to use) rather than what it is (e.g. computer).

[IT-Accountant @ Jul 24th 2008 5:00PM]

I need a marshmallow dispenser!

[retro77 @ Jul 24th 2008 5:02PM]

If it works with the other Eee products then they have a good thing.

[ScOObyDoo @ Jul 24th 2008 5:05PM]

Once the Dell hits the market, Asus are doomed to return back to making Mobo's and video cards for the masses.

They took what little bit of goodwill they generated, and milked it for everything they could.

But they've really gone too far. They should focus their attention on making that $199 laptop they had originally promised us.

[sinai @ Jul 24th 2008 5:07PM]

anyone else feel like they're constantly being trolled by Asus and its EEE thing?

i no longer have any interest, thank you. please go away.

[Eric @ Jul 24th 2008 5:12PM]

I don't see what the big deal is. I understand that the notebook model names get a bit confusing, but I don't really see why everyone is so upset that they're branding things Eee.