Laptop Magazine has an interview with Jerry Shen, where he talks about future plans for the Eee PC line. They include the already announced 8.9″ Eee PC 900 and Eee PC with Windows XP preinstalled. Other plans include the possibility of larger non-ssd hard drives, Intel Diamondville processors, and “more stylish looks.”
Shen also indicates that the Eee PC 900’s price may be $499 for US users. Not bad!
There’s a wealth more of information if you read the full interview here.
{ 37 comments }
Upgrading the processor and the RAM I can get behind, that and minor cosmetic changes. But part of the reason I love this thing is its size and the fact that I can buy it for under $400 and upgrade it modularly and on the cheap. If they make it too big, half the charm is gone (although a little bigger would be fine). By jacking the price, they remove the other half. I can already get a decent laptop for around $500-$600, so if they also need to watch out with regards to pricing themselves out of their market. I won’t pay extra just for size alone, and I know I’m not the only one.
You can’t make everyone happy.
Eee PC 900’s price may be $499 -> Eee PC 900’s price will be at least $499, but probably it will end up being higher.
No no no, if they put in normal hard drives and bigger screens then they lose all of the appeal and uniqueness of the EEE, as compared to other laptops. I think they should try having integrated wi-max and hsdpa (Internet on the go is a MUST).
I’d also love to see them work on making the EEE more of a “platform”. By this I mean building a developer community, having a software repository that’s dedicated to the eee that developers can easily contribute to, allowing the user to easily add and install software (and having relevant icons appear in tabs), etc. Developers, developers, developers.. who said that again?
I will happily pay more for a computer I know it has nothing to do with Windows.
Actually I’m tired of waiting for an ultra portable without any Micro$oft stickers.
Militant Bibliophile needs to read the interview. The new Eee PCs will not be any larger because the speakers will be moved elsewhere. I personally think this is a great idea because i’ve followed the Eee’s progress since well before its release and one of the factors which put people off was the large amount of space taken up on either side of the screen by the speakers.
I personally won’t be getting a new Eee because i’m a student and can’t afford to keep getting the new models as soon as they come out (and I’m slightly disappointed that they’re bringing the new one out so soon! It always feels good to have the latest gadget…) …
but I think that Asus have really listened to what people want in their new designs and that’s why the Eee will be the most successful for a long time to come.
If the larger 8.9″ screen size does make the EEE ‘physically’ larger, it may be destroying one of its major attractions – its portability. I hope it doesn’t make it too much larger.
Areas that would be nice out of the box upgrades would be 1GB RAM, a larger SSD and a faster CPU (Intel Atom will do this and should improve battery life too) and it seems like they are moving forward with this. The only option I would like to see that isn’t current in the EEE is built-in HSDPA connectivity, as it is really a ‘mobile computing device’.
I also find all these requests for optical drives and bluetooth quite mad. You can get all of these things as USB devices these days, if you truly need them.
The size difference is very small. If .2″ bothers you that much then I don’t even know what to say. The added depth (.5″) is for adding a hard drive later on. Personally I think the added depth will add more space for hacks.
This is old as hell!
Holy fukkin crap, increasing the size by 1mm transforms it from ultra-portable to non-portable now? You idiots are bullshit idiots.
Oh crap this new laptop is bigger by 1 millimeter and weighs 1 ounce more, my gawd it’s sooooo huge now and it got so much heavier, i can’t carry this thing around anymore it will break my back.
What I would really like to know is where are the pre-orders in the US. Must be coming out in May or June judging from the lack of sites with order information.
No windows please!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comments are repeating themselves over and over again. Apparently people do not read previous blog entries and comments before they start whining.
1. The 900 will be only marginally larger than the 701, you will probably not notice the difference unless you view them both side by side.
http://www.engadget.com/photos/hot-9-inch-on-7-inch-eee-pc-action/673218/
2. You are not forced to buy a Eee PC with Windows XP pre-installed, both 701 and 900 models will continue to be available with Xandros pre-installed.
http://blog.laptopmag.com/eee-pc-to-get-intels-diamondville-hard-drives-and-fashion-forward-style
Yes, both these links have been posted here many times before.
Dvdivx: I’m glad to here its on’y 0.2″ wider and 0.5″ thicker. That’s great. Heres hoping for the HSDPA now
Bob: I’m glad you’ve amused yourself.
Hi. I’m Bob, and I’m a blithering idiot who can’t write a single sentence without descending into profanity. I have a foul mouth and a foul mind.
Well, I’m off to download some Internet porn. I’ll be gone for a while because I’m gonna have my hands full….
The candidate OBoba supports our minister Bob.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it would appear that the ersatz Ronald has escaped from the thread on the Next Generation Eeee and is now passing himself as Bob. Please note that the genuine Bob did not make the last three posts. Continued behavior like that shown by the ersatz Ronald/Bob will only serve to ruin what can be a very good source for reliable information and courteous interchange between individuals who are truly interested in this technology and in furthering reasoned discourse with respect to the hardware and software involved.
I thank Jim and Michael for their sound and reasoned input and, for now, I will go back to simplly reading the other posts, except those which are nothing more than profanity filled ranting.
Good luck to you all and hopefully someone with more technological expertise can smoke out and deal with those individuals who apparently lack the intellect to do other than destroy what those with vision seek to build.
it’s sad that people care more about this fu*king computer then they do their own life, or their kids perhaps. You’d think this computer would actually help you to live more, but it seems like more people become obsessed with it then anything else.
*than
the eeePC -
- would have been a bargain at $299
- is overpriced at $399 but a niche item that sells
- is dead at $500, because someone else will grab the niche
of course with the dollar falling so fast, all prices will be jacked up soon…
This computer is quickly becoming the next Ipod, the new trendy little electronic gadget. It seems like everyone and their momma has an eeepc these days. No wonder the retailers around the world can’t keep them in stock. The question should be does anyone NOT have an eeepc these days. Yesterday as I went into the school cafeteria, I spotted 8 eeepc’s including mine. With the other makers coming on board, by Christmas, I predict nearly all computer users will own a sub 9″ laptop. This damn computer is becoming like a fad, the cool things to have these days. Before, it was the Ipod, now it is the eeepc.
Spring has sprung and the trolls are beginning to hatch! Just look at how belittling others gives them sustenance. Ahh, the miracle of life in mom’s basement!
I’m unsure what the Australian price will be, though if it’s AUD$600 then I’ll be buying one.
With the current strength of the Aussie dollar I’d say sub-$600 if the US price is around USD$500.
Just visited Wikipedia’s *discussion* page – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:ASUS_Eee_PC – for the Eee. Good grief, I thought our arguments were bad! Anywho, their main page could use a little TLC. I’m going to take a crack at it, but if that site’s hugger doesn’t like the help…
i dont believe for a second it will be 499$. sorry. its just like at the beginning, when they estimated the original eeepc at 199$. yeah right.
why eeepc was supposed to be good:
1) small/portable
2) cheap
3) long battery life
all 3 attributes are mutually inclusive…
what my 4g actually is: small
at 399$, its a great-priced gadget, but not “cheap”. battery lasts 1hr on wireless, and drains itself out on standby. having to carry a power cord nicks down the portability. i expected 7″ to be small, but after owning it, it becomes an annoyance
what im hoping for, is a 499$ 9″ eeePC, that i can trade my 7″ in for. dont need more memory, or storage. just a more practical screen. if it prices at a dollar more, it will retain none of its original, desirable attribute, except being an overpriced toy. ill look for a used dell 710m (a great “real” laptop [having previous owned a 700m]).
@xv
It might be 499, because if ASUS goes to MLC technology for the SSD the expense drops. The question to be answered, and I’m even more skeptical than you, is : What do we get for 499? E.g. What is the component design and quality as compared to the current EEE?
f00, what is MLC technology? i havent heard of it
my reasons for thinking it will be above 500$:
sinking US dollar = higher component/manufacturing (even if just marginally)
moreover though, why not sell it at 500$, when people will probably snatch it up… (extrapolating from the high demand at 399)
guess well see soon though
Why would you pay 499+ for an Eeepc when you can get a laptop with a bigger CPU, RAM, HD, Video card and DVD and with a Windows OEM OS already on it for the same or less price?
Logic surrenders.
If it is indeed sub AUD$600 – I’ll buy two.
“Why would you pay 499+ for an Eeepc when you can get a laptop with a bigger CPU, RAM, HD, Video card and DVD and with a Windows OEM OS already on it for the same or less price?”
Because it is the ideal device to use and carry with you anywhere: Compared to an ordinary laptop it is much smaller, much lighter, and shockproof. Compared to a PDA it is much more comfortable to work with, with larger screen and real keyboard. The installed software is all I need on a laptop. For more demanding tasks I have my desktop.
There will be competing products, no doubt, but so far there is no other product with comparable specifications (including size, weight, and solid-state storage) for this price.
> Why would you pay 499+ for an Eeepc when you can get a laptop with a bigger CPU
>, RAM, HD, Video card and DVD and with a Windows OEM OS already on it for the
> same or less price?
eee 6 pounds
eee = pocket size.
other = briefcase size.
> Logic surrenders.
Not if you do the math!
Eh, the Eee PC only weights liitle over 2 US Pounds.
Right, of course. I typed “eee 6 lbs” but the angle brackets were cut.
Hmmm. I tried to type “eee less than 2 lbs, other greater than 6 lbs” but this forum chops anything sitting between angle brackets.
If the price for the 2nd gen model is to be over $500 AUD or USD, then I guess the only 1 thing an eee pc can then booast is ” look, i am only unique for my pint size” as other $600 notebooks outperformed me by the whole nine yard!!!!
Someone said eee pc is pocket sized? Hmmm… you must be wearing very old english trousers where its pockets can fit in a hardcopy thesaurus in the olden days back in 1920s and 30s. You mean that kind of pocket size? lol j/k
Seriously, I had a look at one at Tandy and it ain’t quite pocket size.
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