ASUS 'Eee Pad' to launch assault on tablet market
by Stevie Smith - May 31 2010, 13:10
With the iPad firmly in its crosshairs... Image: ASUS.
Having defined the Netbook genre with its line of practical and affordable Eee PC computers, Taiwan-based hardware giant ASUS has now followed Apple into the expanding tablet arena by debuting the new – and unsurprisingly titled – Eee Pad.
The Eee Pad range will be available in two portable sizes (10-inch and 12.1-inch), with the smaller tablet powered by the Windows Embedded Compact 7 operating platform, while the larger carries Windows 7 Home Premium thanks to the inclusion of an Intel Core Duo processor.
Officially unveiled ahead of the Computex Show in Taipei, both devices are equipped with touch-screen interfaces, an on-board Web camera, a USB port, Adobe Flash for widespread online video viewing, and up to 10 hours of battery life (on the 12.1-inch model).
According to ASUS, the 10-inch Eee Pad will sell for between $399 USD and $449 USD – which undercuts the $499 USD Apple charges for its basic iPad device with Wi-Fi capabilities.
ASUS has not yet revealed the 12.1-inch model’s price point, but has confirmed that both devices will hit retail in the early part of 2011.
The five-day Computex Show in Taipei formally kicks off this Tuesday.
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