By Nick Heath, 21 January 2010 10:14
INTERVIEW
Eee PC maker Asus' chairman talks to silicon.com's Nick Heath about where the PC is heading, the Chrome OS-effect and why content must catch up for tablets to take off
Just over two years ago Taiwanese computer maker Asus released a lightweight, low cost device called the Eee PC.
With the seven-inch launch machine selling for $399 at a time when the average laptop sold for far more, the Eee PC made ultra-portable computing considerably more affordable for the average consumer.
In the first four months after its debut, Asus sold more than one million Eee PCs, spurring other computer manufacturers to release their own slimline machines and thus giving birth to the netbook market.
The price and portability of netbooks quickly won over consumers, with the form factor accounting for one tenth of laptop sales in EMEA in 2008 - and one fifth in 2009.
Global netbook sales for the year are expected to hit 25 million, with seven million of them likely to bear the Asus brand, making it clear the netbook is here to stay. The company's chairman Jonney Shih, voted a silicon.com Agenda Setter in 2008, spoke to silicon.com about what the else the future holds for portable computing - from plenty more netbooks to tablet PCs and smartbooks.
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Chairman of Asus Jonney Shih
(Photo credit: Asus)
Tablets
Prototypes of tablet or slate PCs - touchscreen machines with no keyboards suited to watching media, reading e-books and web browsing - are sitting in Asus labs but Shih said the company is holding back on releasing any devices.
Asus' caution stands in marked contrast to some other tech heavyweights, such as Microsoft and HP, who recently announced a tablet device at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), and Apple - if rumours it is about to release an 'iSlate' machine are to be believed.
Shih thinks it would be premature to release a tablet today and predicts the devices will not be successful until there are easily accessible online stores of books, music, videos, games and other content tailored to the form factor.
"Content is still not attractive enough today to the customer," he said.
"We have those kind of devices in our labs but we are watching to see when this is enabled."
He predicts a future where Apple, Google and Microsoft each provide major online content stores and web apps designed for touchscreen tablets.
Continues on page two…
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1. strannik
I think that this is generally on the money except for one thing. The Gartner group and others have predicted the growth of the metaverse and virtual worlds which require fat clients. This means that a wearable or portable will need to be something of a fat client in terms of processor power and 3D graphics rendering (this applies to gaming as well). The iPad is already being dismissed for this lack, and apps such as minimal Second Life clients are cropping up for the iPod touch, with users wondering when a full-fledged Second Life client will be available. Thus there will have to be a merging of cheap thin clients with some fat capabilities