Asustek Announces Plans to Extend Eee Product Line to Desktop, TV and All-in-One PC
By David Walker |
January 30th, 2008
Comments (4)
It seems that Asustek Computer has found quite the hit in the Eee PC. The Linux-based, low-cost laptop is a critical darling due to it’s tiny size and equally tiny price-tag. Far be it from Asustek to limit themselves (and their bottom line) by keeping this low-cost philosophy limited to one set of devices. So it comes as no surprise to see DigiTimes report that Asustek is expanding the Eee family product line during 2008.
The Eee family will now include the following:
- The E-DT – a desktop PC (sans monitor) that will utiliize an Intel Celeron processor at first, but will later utilize Intel’s Shelton’08 platform
- The E-TV – a LCD TV in the over 42-inch market that will integrate the Linux-based PC functionality of the Eee famliy
- The E-Monitor – an all-in-one device similar to the iMac that will feature a 19 to 21 inch monitor and built-in TV tuner
The E-DT is expected to hit between April or May and be priced between $200 to $300. The E-TV is scheduled for September and will be no more than $200 more than TVs in the same class. Most interestingly, the E-Monitor is also set to launch in September at a remarkable price of $499. Considering the Apple iMac and Dell XPS One start in the $1200 range, the E-Monitor looks like another potential market-buster. We’ll be keeping our eyes on the expanded Eee family in the coming months.
While I will admit that the E-Monitor did sound a little more interesting after reading the full Digitimes story, I have to wonder about the market for these devices. The EeePc is particularly interesting because it packs a lot of productivity in a relatively inexpensive and unusually small mobile form factor. It would be a shame if Asustek lost sight of the factors that generated excitement around the EeePc in an effort to extend and build upon short term brand recognition. There are a lot big boys in the TV market already integrating PC-lite applications, but the focus there is on media distribution. If Asus brings their OS distro without some serious media capabilities and useful 10-foot enhancements, they will get lost in the shuffle. On the desktop side of the computing world, Asus might be able to reignite interest in small form factor systems with the right design for the E-DT, but it will have be either very interesting or very low priced to garner much attention in such a price sensitve segment of the market.
I think you’re probably onto something. More often than not, when companies “expand” a brand, they end up diluting it.
I think we’re going to have a pleasant surprise when the full ASUS line is revealed. It will be interesting how Americans will react to them (just like EeePC), but the price points, as they stand right now, will be a big hit in the developing world where people are hungry for high-quality, affordable technology.
I would agree that there are a lot places in the world that Asustek’s lineup might be well-received based solely on price/performance ratio. This is one reason I thought the E-Monitor sounded more interesting after reading through the Digitimes article. Add even a cheap monitor to one of the PCs devices already aimed at developing markets such as those based off the AMD Geode and you can quickly be approaching the price of the E-Monitor. Assuming, of course, that Asustek can meet their price projection better than they did with the Eee PC. At the same time, I wonder how much Asustek is planning on targeting developing markets. The E-TV is almost certainly not geared toward such markets and one common theme coming out of many of the mid-range developing markets is that cell phones are increasingly the primary computing platform for many people. This would mean that any desktop initiative would need to allow for easy interfacing with cell phones, an issue that Asustek was able to avoid with the portable Eee PC.