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This topic is lockedHe confirms that the specific facts and contents of the article are accurate, and true, with just one small error on the pricing. The last version/category on the Eee PC pricing should have been $369-399.
He goes on to further clarify the article, as it is wrote from an overseas perspective, rather then an exclusively USA perspective.
My contact clarifies the article like this:
(1) There WILL only be TWO Eee PC versions that will be sold in the USA. There are THREE versions in total slated for initial international release. But only two of those three will specifically come to the USA. The third will be sold overseas. This “only overseas" model is the muchly talked about $199.99 cheapest version.
(2) Ok lets break’em down. The FIRST $199.99 version is in fact the two battery version referenced in the Chinese article. The 199.99 two battery version WAS going to be sold in the USA, but just recently it was decided by ASUS to NOT sell it in the USA. The price was targeted for $199.99, only in the USA. Now the 199.99 version will be sold overseas at the articles higher listed price of $229-239. Ok, everyones gonna wanna know why? The main reason is that ASUS determined from past experiences that the smaller TWO hour only battery versions would not be desired by USA market, so they choose NOT to sell the $199.00 version for the USA.
(3) The SECOND $269-299 version WILL sell in the USA. This will be the 7'inch 2GB version. It comes with 4 cell battery, 512mb, and wi-fi as standard. The differences in price is if you want 6 cell battery, or whatever other added optional feature will be available. IE case, etc.
(4) The THIRD $369-399 version WILL sell in the USA. This will be the 7'inch 4GB version. It also comes with 4 cell battery, 512mb, and wi-fi as standard. Again, differences in price is if you want 6 cell battery, or whatever other added optional feature will be available. IE case, etc.
(5) There WILL be TWO colors available in the beginning. There WILL be the white, and a black ASUS Eee PC 701.
(6) My contact also adds that the Web browser will be fully capable of playing ADOBE FLASH 9 on its browser, and it CAN stream Youtube and google videos. He says a lot of people have asked him if the browser could or not, since it has been reported that the PALM FOLEO will NOT stream off of Youtube or google video cause of its limitations.
(7) RELEASE DATE - Contact said still slated for late September. (I feel more probably like October....lol)
Well I hope this clears things up,
END OF MESSAGE
***EARLIER CHINESE NEWS ARTICLE REFERENCED***: SPECIAL THANKS TO CCLO FOR THE BELOW INFORMATION:
There is another article (in Chinese) about Asus's EeePC from Apple daily in Taiwan:
http://1-apple.com.t...ple/index.cfm?F … ID=3724414
Again, only registered members can see the article. But someone posted the article here:
http://forum.twnuu.c...wtopic.php?t=85
In the article, the reporter interviewed Asus's CEO Jerry Shen, who gave out some interesting information. I won't translate the entire article, but just list several interesting points:
1. Three versions of EeePC will be launched in September. Price ranges will be: USD $229-239, $269-299 and $349-369.
ZORROMAN2008 ANSWER: THIS IS TRUE, HOWEVER 229-239 TWO BATTERY EEE IS CANCELED FOR USA. (CONTACT SAYS THE LAST CATAGORY OF PRICES SHOULD BE 369-399)
2. After Asus splits out its OEM business, the branded business will focus on laptop computers and EeePC as the main product lines in the first stage. Cellular phones will be the main focus in the second stage.
ZORROMAN2008 ANSWER: THIS IS TRUE
3. Asus designed many new applications and interface for EeePC, including "voice command" functionality, which is similar to those built in cellular phones. So you can say "go online" to the EeePC and it will connect to the internet automatically.
ZORROMAN2008 ANSWER: THIS IS TRUE
4. LCD size of EeePC will be limited to 7-9 inches. The plan for 10" model has been canceled due to the overlap between the model and other ultra small laptops.
ZORROMAN2008 ANSWER: THIS IS TRUE , HOWEVER ONLY THE THREE 7INCH VERSIONS WILL SELL IN FIRST RELEASE, WITH OTHER SIZES PLANNED LATTER.
5. Asus will release another laptop model using 10" LCD and solid state disk. But this model belongs to "normal laptop" category.
ZORROMAN2008 ANSWER:THIS IS TRUE
6. The second generation of EeePC, which uses 8" and 8.9" LCD, is planed to be launched between the 4th quarter this year and mid 2008. The 8.9" model uses Intel's Menlow fanless processor (Note: maybe they meant Menlow plateform? see ktkhuong's command below).
ZORROMAN2008 ANSWER:THIS IS TRUE
7. The $199 model comes with a 2 cell battery which lasts two hours. Other two models uses a 4 cell battery which lasts 2.5-4 hours. The 6 cell battery can support more than 5 hours of use.
ZORROMAN2008 ANSWER: THIS IS TRUE, AGAIN 199-TWO CELL NOT IN USA ANYMORE, OTHER TWO MODELS WILL COME TO USA. SIX CELL WILL BE A OPTIONAL FEATURE.
8. Asus faces a great pressure from the surging prices of parts. The challenge is to maintain enough inventory for parts....Flash memory is a headache.
ZORROMAN2008 ANSWER: THIS IS TRUE
9. Asus will produce 200,000 units by the end of this year, 300,000-500,000 units by March next year. After the second generation EeePC launches, Asus expects to produce 3-5 million units by early 2009.
ZORROMAN2008 ANSWER: THIS IS TRUE
The weird thing is that in the middle of the article, it mentioned the $199 model. But in the beginning, the article said that the lowest price range is $229-$239. I also find that the information about the "voice command" is kind of weird.
ZORROMAN2008 ANSWER: THE 199 WAS MENTIONED, BUT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE "199 SPEC CATAGORY", ITS NEW PRICING WILL BE THE 229-239, AND WILL BE SOLD ONLY OVERSEAS, CAUSE OF ITS TWO BATTERIES. NO MARKET IN USA.
Edited by ZORROMAN2008, 16 August 2007 - 10:31 PM.
