Asustek Computer is a giant PC manufacturer, and the most important thing about the success of the Eee PC is that it has given it a global presence it couldn't get simply by knocking out millions of motherboards and cheap laptops for other companies. Now it's planning to use that presence "to launch a family of Eee products including: E-DT (desktop PC), E-TV and E-Monitor," says Taiwan's DigiTimes. It says:
The E-Monitor will be an all-in-one device similar to Apple's iMac and Dell's XPS One. E-Monitor will cut into the 19-21-inch market and will come with a built-in TV tuner. Pricing is set at US$499, compared to the iMac's price of US$1,199-2,299 and the XPS One's price of US$1,499-2,399. E-Monitor will also be based on Intel's Shelton'08 platform [with Diamondville processors and the 945GC chipset] and will be launched in September this year.
Not everyone is convinced. CNet Asia blogger Jonathan Gardner, based in Taiwan, describes the Eee PC as "crapulent" and, in his comment on the DigiTimes story, says:
The PC market is on a downward spiral. TVs are basically a commodity now (except for those wanting to go hi-end with the Bravia, et al). Further, competing solely on price, as the CEO says they're doing, may pump up short-term revenue but is a recipe for disaster down the road.
Taiwan companies in general have two options: Remain entrenched in the OEM/ODM market and compete on price or aim for the hi-end. Cheapening oneself by being known as a vendor of low-cost products is no way to build a brand. And that's exactly what Asustek needs to do: Build the Eee brand. By no means is the mark ubiquitous enough to be relying on a cheap brand expansion.
Another point (mine, not Gardner's) is that the Eee PC has novelty value today that it won't have tomorrow, when there will be a dozen similar machines available, many of them better than the Asus. Hundreds of companies can knock out machines that more or less follow the Intel Classmate PC design. If they wanted, Acer, Samsung, Sony and others could do it with more flair, and do it in the high street, too.
