ASUS's newest netbooks may just be
hitting the US market, but
Digitimes is reporting that both
Acer and
ASUS are currently in somewhat of a holding pattern in regards to their new mini-laptops. The report says that both companies are holding off on releasing new netbooks until current inventory is depleted, and demand has built up for new models. Though the reasoning is hazy, it
does seem this has something to do with holding off until Intel releases its
dual core Atom N550 CPU during the third quarter as the price delta between it and the weaker
N455 / N475 processors isn't much. That would actually make a lot of sense considering most -- including us -- would certainly opt for faster netbooks with the dual-core action over the same old single core Atoms we've grown tired of. Either way, this would mark somewhat of a new strategy for the companies, which have, in the past, often added new models so quickly that choosing between them could be difficult. All we can say is, we shall see.
posted July 8th 2010 10:42AM
damn. That sweet wood-panel veneer can't come soon enough. So hot.
@TomSawyer
I often wonder why there are so many damn new phones and laptops coming out.. Its just so rediculous some times..
Too bad they didn't festoon that ridiculous bezel with it.
Anyone think we could see more and more hardware companies holding back new releases due to inventory of old hardware? Dunno how I feel about that as a consumer though.
ooh, I like the wood-grain. Kind of retro-classy. Like if they built laptops in the 60's.
I have been waiting forever for the asus ul30jt. Please asus! Hurry up
You know you are too old when things that were popular as a kid become hot again.
@Jason B Wood panel laptops were popular when you were a kid? Cool.
@scots79
Wood panel anything was popular when I was a kid.
@Jason B like the atari 2600
Thanks for keeping tabs on ASUS, engadget. I've been waiting for the 1015N and 1215N for what seems like forever. It gets frustrating when ASUS brings two or three new models to EVERY convention, and then releases nothing for months. Lack of Optimus on the 1201PN was a big letdown. For those waiting on the 1218, I feel sorry for you.
@Luke I've got a post coming for you on the 1215.
@Luke I would buy a 1215 with Optimus today. It's not offered so I won't buy anything. ASUS is only hurting themselves when it comes to knowledgeable buyers.
@Joanna Stern
I wait with guarded optimism. I hope you dragged a price and release date out of them.
@Joanna Stern I'll be waiting for that post like a child for Santa on Christmas.
@Joanna Stern
you are withholding!
no seriously though, i read your comment at work and its still not up. you are withholding.
The demand has been there. Just look at the ongoing thread about the UL30Jt over at NotebookReview since it was announced back in CES. A lot of people got tired of waiting and jumped ship to the Envy 14 and Timeline X 3820.
The Digitimes report states that new NETbooks aren't going to be released until mid August and that inventories of ultra-thin and entry-level NOTEbooks are being cleared. I wouldn't consider the bamboo line a NETbook or an ultra-thin/entry-level NOTEbook. Maybe that's just blind optimism though since I so badly want the U53JC...
Could also be due to the shortage of electronic components that's preventing them from producing any more.
The demand for these sorts of things are there, but personally I hate them. I don't see the point of them
First I think they need to fix the distribution of CURRENT models, i.e. we still don't have the white EEE PC T101MT model in the U.S., the actually functional one that has Home Premium, 320GB hard drive and 2gigs of memory!
@djguapo There are so many EEE netbooks already and none of them is really 'WOW'...
I don't think we need some more.
@MaTdg uh, I didn't ask for more, I said they need to work on getting all their CURRENT (do you know what 'current' means by any chance?) models out to everywhere around the world.
@djguapo And my point is: instead of working on the CURRENT models, they should create a real gamechanger instead of those boring equally specced devices.
I was at the my local store yesterday and the whole netbook line (eee and competitors) consisted of atom n270, n450 in combination with intel gma 950 or 3150.
Yeah right -- they are waiting to see if demand ever recovers. Millions of these little crappers are sitting idle -- the owners have moved on to something better.
@Ed T it seems like (from someone who doesn't own a netbook but has been keeping my eye on them) part of the lack of demand is confusion - people don't see the difference between th n450s and n455s and n270s and ulvs - especially when they are the same speed in numbers, as well they have to be saying - hey this netbook is $199 and this one id $499 but the look the same and have the same proc speed so they pick it up and are like "netbooks all suck don't buy them" (which I have heard from people I know) and I am sure that deters people as well. Things were, I admit a whole lot easier to digest when specs were more linear and products weret incrementally upgraded or crippled every other release - it is very confusing for the average consumer
I think perhaps this could also have to do with Pixel Qi screens... (I hope anyways)...
The N455 is not really a better netbook than the n450.
And the price of the N475 does not excuse it's similar performance to the N450 (yes, the CPU is faster, but the RAM is slower, and it evens out each other)