The latest iteration of the Asus EEE PC,the 904H and 1000H were lauched here in India amidst a glittering function organised at the Taj President earlier today.
Yours truly was a witness to the launch and here are the first thoughts from me regarding the ultra compact notebook segment.
So is the EEE PC worth a look at? How does it fare price wise and functionality wise in our specific market dynamics? Read on.
THE ASUS FACTOR
Asus no doubt is a respected brand for its high quality PC Peripherals. But, when you consider getting yourselves a laptop, it is one of the last names that comes in your mind. And why not? With the likes of Dell, HP-Compaq, Lenovo dominating the segment, Asus does have a task at its hands to make headway into he masses psyche.
So what do they do? Create an entirely new market segment! This has two advantages. One: The company will be perceived as a pioneer in this field and TWO: The brand will be more recognised as these PCs are low cost devices which are affordable and reasonably powerful.
Asus sure has had a headstart in this segment and the nearest competitor is yet to launch a Netbook(Yes, thats the name for the ultra compact notebook!)here, or anywhere else in the world. The only competitor in sight is the Acer Aspire One expected in the next quarter
According to Mr. Benson Lin, General Manager,ASUS APAC Sales Group,"With the introduction of Eee PC 904H and 1000H, ASUS brings to India a new segment of netbooks for today's new age customers who have an innate desire to be connected all the time and see personalized, mobile technology as the way to meet that need."
Speaking on the occasion Mr. Lin also asserted that the EEE PC variants are targeted at both, prospective first time laptop users with basic requirements and for working professionals and students. The USP is the powerful six cell battery which has a 7 hour battery life per charge. Of course it is yet to be seen what the exact performance reports say.
The Variants
The two models lauched today were the 904H and the 1000H. Common features for both include Windows XP preinstalled, an 80 GB hard drive (No SSD!. (Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Wi-Fi 802.11n), Eee Connect for an easy way to connect two or more users through a remote desktop feature for easy troubleshooting. They ship with 1 GB of RAM and both sport the Intel Atom processor. Bluetooth, microphone, three USB ports, a memory card reader and yes, a web cam is included as well! Neat li'l pacakage. And they look good too!
The 904H has an 8.9 inch screen while big brother 1000H sports a 10.1 inch display. Both share a resolution of 1024*600.
As for the pricing, I do think ASUS could have priced it slightly better so that they can really straddle the segment and create a truly niche segment. This is because, the 904H and the 1000H are priced at Rs.26990/- and 29990/- respectively. That puts it just slightly below the mainstream laptop segment. Any buyer will have second thoughts before getting one at these prices. Why not just increase the budget by a few thousands and get a "mainstream" laptop?
So do I recommend getting one? Well I do if you are looking for basic computing prowess, good battery life and the features. Unlike the earlier versions, you will certainly not feel "left out" as this truly is a capable laptop. However I will suggest waiting a while and check if the prices do come down a bit so that it becomes a great deal instead of a good one now!
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