Netbook pioneer Asustek Computer Inc (華碩電腦) yesterday showcased prototypes of its “iPad killer” and e-reader, in a move to seize a share in the two nascent segments amid the next wave of personal digitalization.
“We try to provide you with a lot of choices and have products for different segmentations,” chairman Jonney Shih (施崇棠) told a pre-Computex product launch yesterday where international journalists covering the trade fair also attended.
Eee Pad — Asustek’s answer to iPad — will come in models of 10 inches and 12 inches.
Contrary to iPad, which runs on Apple’s operating system, Eee Pad runs on Windows and “serves as a multimedia player, e-reader, compact PC and Internet device,” according to Asustek.
Eee Pad will come complete with features that iPad currently doesn’t support, such as USB ports, Adobe Flash and a Web cam.
Another killer application is that the 12-inch model will incorporate a special docking station-cum-keyboard, allowing users to manage productivity and portability at the same time, Shih said.
However, eager owners of the Eee Pad will have to wait quite some time as company officials confirmed that both models will only hit the market as early as the first quarter next year.
The 10-inch Eee Pad is expected to carry price tags of between US$399 to US$449, while prices of the 12-inch tablet are yet to be determined, the officials said.
The cheapest iPad model is currently selling for US$499.
Taiwanese makers, including Micro-Star International Co (微星科技) and Acer Inc (宏碁), have aggressively jumped on the tablet bandwagon after Apple Inc introduced iPad, which received an overwhelming response from consumers within the first month of its launch in the US.
The e-reader is another booming segment these companies are going after.
Asustek’s e-reader — which the company dubs “Eee Tablet” — is expected to be commercially available by September.
Retailing from US$199 to US$299, the 8-inch reader weighs around 500g and its battery can last up to 10 hours.
The gadget boasts real-time text annotation, as users can use one of the built-in notepad templates and have the option to store, sort, tag and organize their notes. It also features a 2-megapixel camera that allows students to capture screenshots of lecture slides.
SEEKING CLARITY: Washington should not adopt measures that create uncertainties for ‘existing semiconductor investments,’ TSMC said referring to its US$165 billion in the US Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) told the US that any future tariffs on Taiwanese semiconductors could reduce demand for chips and derail its pledge to increase its investment in Arizona. “New import restrictions could jeopardize current US leadership in the competitive technology industry and create uncertainties for many committed semiconductor capital projects in the US, including TSMC Arizona’s significant investment plan in Phoenix,” the chipmaker wrote in a letter to the US Department of Commerce. TSMC issued the warning in response to a solicitation for comments by the department on a possible tariff on semiconductor imports by US President Donald Trump’s
The government has launched a three-pronged strategy to attract local and international talent, aiming to position Taiwan as a new global hub following Nvidia Corp’s announcement that it has chosen Taipei as the site of its Taiwan headquarters. Nvidia cofounder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Monday last week announced during his keynote speech at the Computex trade show in Taipei that the Nvidia Constellation, the company’s planned Taiwan headquarters, would be located in the Beitou-Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區) in Taipei. Huang’s decision to establish a base in Taiwan is “primarily due to Taiwan’s talent pool and its strength in the semiconductor
Industrial production expanded 22.31 percent annually last month to 107.51, as increases in demand for high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications drove demand for locally-made chips and components. The manufacturing production index climbed 23.68 percent year-on-year to 108.37, marking the 14th consecutive month of increase, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. In the first four months of this year, industrial and manufacturing production indices expanded 14.31 percent and 15.22 percent year-on-year, ministry data showed. The growth momentum is to extend into this month, with the manufacturing production index expected to rise between 11 percent and 15.1 percent annually, Department of Statistics
An earnings report from semiconductor giant and artificial intelligence (AI) bellwether Nvidia Corp takes center stage for Wall Street this week, as stocks hit a speed bump of worries over US federal deficits driving up Treasury yields. US equities pulled back last week after a torrid rally, as investors turned their attention to tax and spending legislation poised to swell the US government’s US$36 trillion in debt. Long-dated US Treasury yields rose amid the fiscal worries, with the 30-year yield topping 5 percent and hitting its highest level since late 2023. Stocks were dealt another blow on Friday when US President Donald
RSS