We've devoted quite a lot of space to the Asus Eee PC mini-notebook: I covered the RM launch last October and reviewed the machine in Technophile in December, and we've tracked all the versions here on the blog. The combination of size, weight and -- crucially -- price have made it a compelling product.
Interest in the Eee PC has also given Asustek a new prominence -- the company was previously known here mainly as a motherboard supplier -- and according to a Digitimes headline in Taiwan: Eee PC helps Asustek become sixth largest PC vendor, says IDC. It says:
Asustek Computer shipped around 1.4 million notebooks in the first quarter of 2008 and ranked number eight in terms of market share. However, if Eee PC shipments of around 700,000 units are included, the company's shipments jump to 2.1 million units, surpassing those of Fujitsu and Apple, to rank in sixth place, and closely trailing behind Lenovo who shipped 2.2-2.3 million units, according to a recent report from IDC.
With the arrival of the new PC 900 version with an 8.9in screen, which shipped in the UK on May 1 (see Vic's review below), and the belated arrival of Windows XP versions, Asus could do even better.
It won't be too much of a shock if this year's top 5 notebook PC vendors includes two Taiwanese suppliers -- Acer and Asus. However, maintaining that sort of position for five or 10 years is more of a challenge.
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