Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) yesterday introduced a complete Windows 8 product lineup in New York and Taipei, as the world’s No. 5 PC brand aims to wow consumers ahead of tomorrow’s launch of Microsoft Corp’s new operating system.
During two press conferences hosted by Asustek chairman Johnny Shih (施崇棠) in New York and chief executive officer Jerry Shen (沈振來) in Taipei, the company showcased its latest products as well as the much-awaited Windows 8 operating system running on its notebooks, tablets and all-in-one PCs.
The new products are all supported by optional docks and feature high-speed processors, multi-touch in-plane-switching (IPS) displays, wide viewing angle panels and powerful battery performance, the Taipei-based company said.
Photo: Mandy Cheng, AFP
Asustek joined Dell Inc, Hewlett-Packard Co, Lenovo Group Ltd (聯想), Samsung Electronics Co, Sony Corp and Toshiba Corp in debuting Windows 8 tablet-notebook hybrids earlier this year at the annual IFA consumer electronics show in Germany.
The company has also teamed up with Microsoft to launch Windows RT products, along with Dell, Samsung and Lenovo, hoping the touch-enabled version of Windows software can help it diversify into tablet market dominated by Google Inc and Apple Inc.
“We think our products greatly differentiate from Win8 models made by other PC vendors. We have confidence that we can take over the market once the products go on sale,” Asustek’s chief finance officer David Chang (張偉明) said by telephone yesterday.
“Our products’ specifications and most importantly, their prices, make them stand out and will provide consumers great satisfaction,” he said.
Asustek set prices for its Vivobook S200 at US$499 apiece, US$599 for the S400 and US$649 for S500, for instance.
However, it did not set sale goals for the company’s Windows 8 products.
“Sales performance will be reflected by the market,” Chang said.
Acer Inc (宏碁) founder Stan Shih (施振榮) on Tuesday said he was cautious about the market response to Microsoft’s new software compared with Apple’s dominant iOS operating system.
Shih, who said he had not yet used any device supported by Windows 8, said Apple did not invent new technologies.
“However, the reason why Apple’s products can win a majority of the market is because they know how to utilize existing technologies, integrate them and make products that greatly satisfy consumer demands,” he told reporters after the launch of a Chinese Consumer Center in Taiwan that aims to give local firms a better understanding of the purchasing behavior of Chinese-speaking customers.
“It is important to have a deeper understanding of consumers before exploring new markets,” Shih said. “Their products [Windows 8] may grab major shares of the market if buyers feel comfortable using the device. It takes time to examine whether it [Microsoft] will take over the market or not.”
Asustek and Acer shares dropped 0.82 percent and 2.31 percent to NT$303 and NT$25.4 respectively yesterday. The TAIEX lost 0.31 percent.
Stephen Garrett, a 27-year-old graduate student, always thought he would study in China, but first the country’s restrictive COVID-19 policies made it nearly impossible and now he has other concerns. The cost is one deterrent, but Garrett is more worried about restrictions on academic freedom and the personal risk of being stranded in China. He is not alone. Only about 700 American students are studying at Chinese universities, down from a peak of nearly 25,000 a decade ago, while there are nearly 300,000 Chinese students at US schools. Some young Americans are discouraged from investing their time in China by what they see
MAJOR DROP: CEO Tim Cook, who is visiting Hanoi, pledged the firm was committed to Vietnam after its smartphone shipments declined 9.6% annually in the first quarter Apple Inc yesterday said it would increase spending on suppliers in Vietnam, a key production hub, as CEO Tim Cook arrived in the country for a two-day visit. The iPhone maker announced the news in a statement on its Web site, but gave no details of how much it would spend or where the money would go. Cook is expected to meet programmers, content creators and students during his visit, online newspaper VnExpress reported. The visit comes as US President Joe Biden’s administration seeks to ramp up Vietnam’s role in the global tech supply chain to reduce the US’ dependence on China. Images on
New apartments in Taiwan’s major cities are getting smaller, while old apartments are increasingly occupied by older people, many of whom live alone, government data showed. The phenomenon has to do with sharpening unaffordable property prices and an aging population, property brokers said. Apartments with one bedroom that are two years old or older have gained a noticeable presence in the nation’s six special municipalities as well as Hsinchu county and city in the past five years, Evertrust Rehouse Co (永慶房產集團) found, citing data from the government’s real-price transaction platform. In Taipei, apartments with one bedroom accounted for 19 percent of deals last
US CONSCULTANT: The US Department of Commerce’s Ursula Burns is a rarely seen US government consultant to be put forward to sit on the board, nominated as an independent director Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday nominated 10 candidates for its new board of directors, including Ursula Burns from the US Department of Commerce. It is rare that TSMC has nominated a US government consultant to sit on its board. Burns was nominated as one of seven independent directors. She is vice chair of the department’s Advisory Council on Supply Chain Competitiveness. Burns is to stand for election at TSMC’s annual shareholders’ meeting on June 4 along with the rest of the candidates. TSMC chairman Mark Liu (劉德音) was not on the list after in December last