Asus has released the final specifications and UK pricing for its two new Eee PC models, the 904 and the 1000.
The Eee 1000 is Asus's long-awaited extension of the Eee line into 10-inch-screen territory, and brings the company up against rivals' devices, such as the MSI Wind. Because the chassis of the Eee 1000 is larger than other netbooks in the line, it can accommodate a larger keyboard.
The Eee 904 is effectively the Eee 900 in the chassis of the Eee 1000, larger keyboard included. Like the smaller Eee 900, the 904 has an 8.9-inch screen and uses a Celeron processor rather than the low-powered Atom processor used in the 1000 and the 901.
Despite their differing screen sizes, both the 1000 and the 904 have a screen resolution of 1,024 by 600 pixels. They also both come with six-cell batteries and built-in webcams, and use a gigabyte of RAM.
The 904 comes only in a Windows XP flavour and has an 80GB hard drive and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi connectivity. Because of the larger chassis, it weighs 1.36kg. The Windows XP version of the 1000 also uses an 80GB hard drive and weighs 1.45kg. The Linux version of the 1000 has a 40GB solid-state drive and weighs 1.33kg. Earlier iterations of the Eee netbooks weighed in at around 1kg or less.
Both versions of the 1000 have 802.11a/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.
As for pricing, the Eee 904 will cost £269. The Linux version of the Eee 1000 will cost £369, while the XP version will cost £349. An Asus spokesperson told ZDNet.co.uk on Thursday that the Eee 1000 was "with distributors already", while the 904 will be on shelves in about a week's time.
Talkback
How does that work then? And where's the selling point? This sounds as if the Microsoft Tax is being levied again.
... but, and it's a big "but", the 40GB drive is solid-state - a pretty big SSD for the current market too, certainly at the price.
That said, I'm having trouble figuring out why Asus has chosen to go the 10"-screen-chassis route. Well, I can see the market - those who want a bigger keyboard - but HP and Acer do a fairly good job of the keyboard on their 8.9" models.
We saw and held one. Basically, we in the ZDNet office are struggling not to go "meh" at the Eee 1000 (and, I guess, the 904). It's noticably heavier than, say, the 901. It's really pushing the border between "netbook" and "notebook". Not so cool anymore.
No way! Even with a 40gb SSD one would assume the Linux book would come in at the same , or lower price than XP. Looks like Microsoft is telling the manufacturers how they can price their systems now. How long is the public supposed to put with this outrageous behavior? I realize M$ is afraid of the competition, because they can't compete on a level field. Time to put a stop to this crap.
They will all be cheaper by Xmas. Early adopters always pay the price.
Acer Aspire 5315-2153, $348 Walmart Special,Mandriva Linux 2008.1 Spring Edition
This post has been removed by a moderator.
Is there any way to block these spammers access to the comments section?
I've noticed a lot of them hit the blogs also, shameful they can't respect rules,but I guess it takes all kinds.
Is this price premium for the smaller size?....I ve seen much higher spec laptops, some even from asus for this price!!
Isn't it frustrating? I totally agree. Typically, it appears that the comment spammers we see have gone through the whole registration process before they post. That means we only catch them after they post. We could hold all comments for moderation before they go live, but we believe that would hinder the discussion. Basically, we balance ease of commenting and openness in registration against the risk of spam. If you'd like to give us feedback on this, it would be great to hear it.
One site I use moderates the first few posts of any new subscriber. Another one will not let new subscribers put up links.
This doesn't completely stop spammers, but it greatly reduces them
Well, It clearly means that LINUX is a much more efficient and stable system. High quality means high price ; nothing wrong about that.
Linux is well known as the Rolls-Royce of the operating system, while Windows and all the M$ softs look like "Trabant" or "Lada" beside.
Just ONE proof of this, I've been stuck to the Intenet for 5 years using nothing else than Debian Linux and never a virus, spyware or else touched my computer.
A. GOMEZ. From France
If you are suggesting that Asus is charging a premium for Linux then you are also suggesting that Asus is gouging its Linux customers.