ASUS planning a 'killer product' for June, Eee Pad noise grows louder
ASUS CEO Jonney Shih has been speaking on the subject of the now finalized Pegatron spin-off and delivered a couple of teasing tidbits of info about the company's future direction. Naturally, most interest will be piqued by the "killer product" he has said is coming in June, but Jonney also mentions his company's intent to be "another Apple" -- only with a focus on open source -- and he specifically points out ARM and Google as a preferred hardware / software combination, while obviously not ruling out Wintel offerings where the market demands it. Taken as a whole, his words mesh perfectly with what we've heard of the Eee Pad so far, namely that it'll be powered by NVIDIA's Tegra 2 (which utilizes ARM CPUs), probably run Android, and arrive in early June. We still don't know whether that sub-$500 price will hold, but it's good to put a bit of CEO-level meat on those rumor bones anyway.
























Looking forward to it. Hope its not a let down like a certain other product.
@kris120890
It sounds interesting, but unless it has something to rival OneNote, I think they'll be missing out on a big portion of the market.
@reader1
You sir, have extremely low expectations... Are you amazed the it has a screen? I can't believe it either...
@reader1
Lack of flash........exceeds your expectations?
Oh wow.
@reader1
Its okay Your just a fanboy. Obvious when looking at your past comments.
@kris120890
Wrong use of You're
@patrickdnj
Agreed, plain and simple if the ipad had flash id probably buy it. Now im looking at other options that really deliver. Ipad fails right now. Maybe the next one will do hd and all the missing goodies I wanted.
I was hoping for a full fledged windows 7 Eee Pad. I am disappoint. :(
@reader1 I wish you would do the same with computers that support flash.
@kris120890
no chance. the success of a tablet, or any modern hardware platform is the accessibility and interface of the software. sadly, most taiwanese tech companies focus too much on driving costs down, and not enough on the user experience.
@reader1
"lack of flash support was a pleasant surprise"
How did a sheep get out of the fields and onto the forums?
@reader1
You have to be the biggest corporate shill I've ever seen.
I bet you're the kind of customer that apple just adores. One who lauds and praises features that are taken away, while at the same getting hard over the fact that it's an entirely closed platform that you have no control over.
You also are the only idiot I've ever seen besides the ISP corporations hoping for a more closed internet. How ignorant are you?
@One Love Really? Personally, for a tablet/slate/pad (Don't you love how noone called them "pads" before Apple came along?) form factor, I'd rather something like a Linux Distro, Chrome or Android.
Functionality is great in Windows, and 7, but do you really need or want to be delving chest deep in "Advanced" after "Advanced" after "Advanced" after "More Options" buttons just to connect to a WiFi point when you're on the go?
Maybe it's okay for some, I just don't like Windows on any portable.
@juanvaldez ZING!
@kris120890 Yes, the product is highly interesting and so as for the price too :D Both are better values than the Asus. Choices are good, and I’m sure some people are going to buy the Asus just because but I figured some people would like more insight. I remember their triple-e box which turned out pretty competitve: http://bit.ly/asus-eebox-eb1501-reaction
@reader1 is on steve's jock so hard, he's got some apple sauce on his chin.....
Don't feed the trolls please.
@FORDY I really wish it could come tripple booted with android chrome and win 7
then I'd put some linux on it and maybe try to hackintosh it
@reader1 I find that a Macbook air with its screen reversed and a touch screen installed and keyboard removed is far from a high expectation. that's all they really needed to do *shrugs*. why didn't they do it?
it boggles the mind...
I Heart Asus :D and I am glad they have finally decided to cut all this atom/windows sluggish combination.
@reader1
*sigh*
I need more troll-b-gone.
@reader1 Ummm...I bet the iPad would be just as fast or faster with an atom in there... it's just fast because ANY MOBILE OS WILL RUN FAST ON A 1GHZ PROCESSOR. Try running android/S60/Maemo or even windows mobile on an atom, I bet it would scream too!
@reader1
Damn you are right! why didn't I think of that? I mean who needs SD expansion or USB input? Or browse the web with flash? Why should I be able to just transfer photos directly to my tablet from my camera while on the go? Why would I need 1080p HDMI output anyways if it is meant for "couch surfing". I mean why play my videos on my huge 52" T.V when I can play it back on a tiny 4:3 screen on my lap? Hey and who the hell needs to run more than 1 app at once anyways? That's just opens up the door for low quality sluggishness. I trust that apple knows what apps I should be able to install. That Fart app is definitely the killer app for iPad as oppose to stupid "Lazy" Adobe Flash or Google voice. Divx movies are low quality and crap, I want MP4 all the way.
God I love the iPad.... it has shown me many things I didn't even know that I don't really need. DEFINITELY raised the bar.
I am glad iPad has raised the bar and cut away all these unnecessary lower bar, battery sapping features.
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
iPad is Revolutionary
*Waits for Engadget Gestapo to delete comment*
@Eternity the best part is i reader1 probably doesn't get the sarcasm and completely agrees with everything you just said
@kojo87
Well he will now...lol
A mission statement a consumer can get behind, now only if a more than a bunch of consumers and dev's do.
@reader1
Gee, you're absolutely right. Just look at how little support was thrown behind the open platforms DOS and Windows. I know I certainly have never paid for an application or a piece of media.
Oh wait, Windows is the most successful platform *ever*.
reader1, here's a nickel. Go buy a clue.
@reader1
As a Web Developer I can tell you that is changing, but your statement is only partially true. A lot of mashups use affiliate programs for the services they're enhancing. Typically within out going links to eliminate the risk of ad blockers cutting into profits. Which in other words means the mashup was created with intent of being an advertisement.
Give me a nice screen and an open system for running Linux on Tegra 2, and I'm yours ASUS. I look forward to the Eee Pad more than I ever did for netbooks.
@carsonb
+1
This, or the Notion Ink Adam may be the tablet I will buy. I hope one of the companies will support real Linux on these tablets, not only Android.
Well, judging from that picture of a moronically glossy screen, you'll probably have to keep waiting.
When will they learn?
If it is made with Intel, it could be a provocative hackintosh.
it will be better with atom cpu and sub-$500 price tags
@htd No It won't. ARM/tegra2 blows any atom away.
For example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRytfT_v2cs
@MaTdg Let's rephrase that: it will be better with a significantly sub-$500 price tag, even if it's just an Atom. I think price is more important that features in this niche, because it's a fine balance between the convenience of a coffee table tablet and the extra features a full notebook offers. If they stripped a solid state Eee PC to just the screen, added a capacitative touchscreen and Android, and set the price at $299 they would sell like hotcakes, even with a "sluggish" Atom.
@patsy Ok, let me ask you then: €299 for the atom config that has no power at all and needs a recharge every 2-3hours or €399 for the ARM/tegra config that can actually play 1080p video smootly (for use with HDMI out) and has a batterylife of 9-10hours minimum?
Besides, I don't know why the ARM/tegra config should cost much more than the atom config or cost more than $500. If apple can sell the iPad for $499 then asus (or any other manufacturer) should be able to sell about the same config for less then $499.
@MaTdg Well, is it $399 or $499 then? Because there's quite a difference there. While I might stretch to $399 for a fairly special purpose pad, I doubt I'd shell out $499. Ideally, for the typical web browsing, facebooking and emailing I'd be doing with the pad, $299 or even less would be much more palatable, and an Atom with "no power at all" would suit me just fine. My Eee PC was more than adequate for that, except for the somewhat puny resolution of 1024x600.
@patsy I meant dollars instead of euro's in my previous post, my mistake. It's because I live in Europe myself :).
Fine, you don't need a lot of power, and use it for basic tasks like email, surfing, etc... Then I still don't get why you would want an atom over an ARM cpu. There isn't so much of a difference in price but the ARM cpu's are far more power efficient than the atom cpu's meaning a longer batterylife for the same performance.
I think Pixel Qi screens need to be mandatory for these devices. As it is no Pixel Qi, means no sale for me. I'll stick to Notion Ink's Adam and hope they market a $500 unit..
@Dinochicken
Agreed. Ink Adam is the hotness. Are there any more concrete specs on the hardware? Card reader, HDMI? I assume it'll get flash 10.1 as it rolls out on Android.
@Luke Pixel Qi rocks, I'm salivating at the thought...
@zole2112 Then your Pavlovian training is complete, Fido!
ASUS, you've been handed a nice softball by Apple.
It's up to you to swing and not miss.
@LAY
placed ever-so-gingerly upon a tee....
Unless you make the OS and the hardware, you're not going to be "another Apple." Not that that's a bad thing. good luck to em.
@darksharpie
They could always buy a software company run by an ex-employee if they can't manage to write their own software.
@darksharpie
How bout their own special linux distro? that would be the hotness. I just hope this thing comes with proper handwriting recognition. I'm looking at you google!
@darksharpie Using a customized build of Android they're quasi using their own OS, and they're making their own hardware already.
Oh thank god, MORE tablet rumors
@bazookafx3
this one is much sexier IMHO.