Posted on Tuesday, August 21 2007 @ 1:25 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
The very cheap Asus Eee PCs will be available in volume in mid-September, according to
Taiwanese sources. The first-round shipments are targeted at 20,000 units, with many more following in the weeks thereafter.
In addition to securing orders from the mentioned countries, Asustek has also landed orders for its Eee PCs from a number of education organizations, insurance companies and emerging markets, the sources noted.
However, the company is concerned that the persistent tight supply of a number of key components might affect production in the second half of the year, contended the sources.
The Eee PCs will be available at US$199, US$239, US$349 and US$369 depending on specifications, with the model priced at US$349 targeting the mainstream, said the sources, noting that the first-round shipments will be mostly of the mainstream model.
Since the specifications of Eee PCs are similar to a mini notebook, international market research firms are reportedly considering classifying shipments of Eee PCs as notebooks, which could boost Asustek's market share as well as its ranking in the global notebook market, according to market sources.
Asus hopes to sell 500,000 Eee PCs this year and 3-5 million in 2008.
