Asus Eee Pad ‘iPad killer’ to launch in July (with photo)

“Asustek Computer chairman Jerry Shen has announced, at a conference in Taiwan, that the company will introduce its tablet PC, the Eee Pad, at Computex 2010, scheduled between June 1-5, and is aiming to launch the device in retail channels in the third quarter of 2010, which sources from component makers revealed will be late July,” Monica Chen and Joseph Tsai report for DigiTimes.

“To compete against Apple’s iPad, Asustek has strengthened the Eee Pad’s industrial design and has cooperated with Google to adopt its Android platform,” Chen and Tsai report. “Asustek will also add features that iPad currently does not support such as USB, integrated webcam, and Adobe Flash, Shih noted.”

MacDailyNews Take: Shih really meant to add, “That way we’ll win Engizmadgeto’s spec sheet shootout or smackdown or whatever they call it and sucker in the morbidly ignorant. ‘Eee’ stands for ‘Eee, you’re so stupid, you could’ve had an iPad.”

Chen and Tsai continue, “The sources estimated that Asustek’s Tegra-based Eee Pad will be priced at NT$15,000-16,000 (US$479-510) after bundling with telecom carrier services, and total shipments will reach 300,000 units in 2010.”

MacDailyNews Take: Eee Gads. Does it come with a serial port, too? The also-rans never learn. Of course, that’s why they’re also-rans. It’s a vicious cycle. Oh, yeah, nice stylus. (smirk) Also, Asus, could you make it a little thicker?

Full article here.

88 Comments

  1. atleast they are releasing this thing relatively close to after apple ipad launch.. even though it wont be as successful especially if they are trying to kill it with the same price target.. not happenin.

  2. And another thing we are going to do better than Apple did is make sure we have enough supply on hand to meet demand! ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />

  3. …”atleast they are releasing this thing relatively close to after apple ipad launch.. “

    Apple has already launched iPad (in early April). This device is supposed to be in stores at the end of July (more realistically, sometime in August, possibly much later).

    How is this relatively close to iPad? By the time people could buy this device, there will already be several million iPad owners, and tens of thousands of made-for-iPad apps.

    They may as well launch in 2014…

  4. Ought to factor in cost of Gym Membership. You’ll need to work out at the gym to hand hold it easily. ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />

  5. If it really comes out some time in the summer, 300,000 units isn’t very many for half a year. Apple will have sold well over one million by the time it appears. That’s really not very good for the EEE!

  6. It’s so… square. AssesTek will be first using Android, so at least it won’t 1GB for RAM and 128GB of storage, just to boot Windows 7. But then again, Android is a “PDA” OS scaled up. iPhone OS is Mac OS X scaled down (and not so far down for use in iPad).

  7. Is it just me, or does everything that’s dubbed “iPod Killer”, “iPhone Killer” and now, “iPad Killer” end up being an oxymoron?

    Name one product that has succeed actually being the “____ killer”. One.

    Crickets.

    Yet, these dildos keep using that stupid term. It makes me want to yank their hearts out through their chest, assuming they even have a heart, which of course they don’t. Every time I read that frickin’ term, it smacks of institutionalized hatred of anything Apple, and of anyone who considers themselves a fan of the company. It’s a nice euphemism for, “Die Apple scum, die, die, die.”

    I will gladly piss on the grave of wherever the unsold thousands of these are buried.

    (Ask me how I really feel about this…)

  8. My 2 year old grand daughter walks around with the iPad and our iPhones all the time. I would not want her walking around with a pointy stylus. She could get hurt and she may need her older sister to help carry that heavy turd around.

    It could make a good patio stone. When they don’t sell, I will take some of them off your hands and build out my patio some. What colors do they come in? How much weight can they support?

  9. While they’re at – how about adding a 3.5″ Floppy Drive? You never see those anymore – they could market it as Old School. I’m sure someone, somewhere, probably in the PC Universe, is clamoring for a portable device with a 3.5″ Floppy drive.

  10. Do you guys like anything electronic that is not made by apple? Geez. Give it a rest. I totally welcome competition. Just because apple may do it first and/or slap a apple logo on something does not automatically make it the best and for that matter even if it is the best what’s with the childish remarks? Alternatives are a good thing. As I see it right now. My iPad and phone have lots of apps on it. How many of those I really use? Well most of those are available in some form or another on other platforms. So reality is. A huge library of apps in a closed off AppStore doesn’t really make a device more desireable to me. It’s the core functionality that matters. Competitors may indeed have some features that will be nice to have. For me, printing, file sharing, tethering, flash (yes at least for now it is necessary for a good amount of sites and tools that I need) or highly desireable. Also, external storage (ie, not gouging for memory) rather than no SD expansion is a huge win. I also like to transfer pics from my slr. It would be nice to have USB available for that.

    Anyway. I love the design of the iPad. But I am not about to poo poo on other companies competing.

  11. “”That way we’ll win Engizmadgeto’s spec sheet shootout”

    Exactly. Thats how these companies brag about their POS. We have 4 USB ports and triple the web cam with 56 megapixel and 5000x zoom lens. Ships with three, not one, but three styluses and has 3 HDMI ports just in case!!!

  12. Taking a deep breath…………

    Hey, it looks fine to me. It looks cheaper than an iPad but cost the same.
    It will be running an OS that is either brand new or one designed to run an Android phone. But it could be worse. It could be running windows 7!!!!!

    It costs the same as an iPad but you must have a cell phone contract to get it for that costs. So….. you are stuck with a long term contract…..

    Not a good idea.

    Just a thought,
    en

  13. Hmm. Interesting! Why is it no company ever creates a Lenovo Tablet killer or a HP killer? Because they are not the recognized standard of excellence. Every tablet is now being measured against the iPad. So one guess at which is the standard of excellence…

    In teaching at the university, I’ve used a Lenovo Windows based tablet before. It had some nice features, but it was quirky. From what I’ve seen, the iPad will need some of those features to make it the best alternative for university faculty. But even without them, I would not take what Asus is offering over the iPad.

  14. @Is there,

    Yes, many are technology enthusiasts and like plenty of products that aren’t Apple-designed. But, being technology enthusiasts with an eye for good design (why else would be Apple fans), it’s also easy to spot a product that sucks ass.

    Yes, alternatives are a good thing. But, not just any alternative, mind you – the alternative should at least be a legitimate alternative; this Asus POS isn’t even a decent imitation… It’s big, heavy, thick, plastic, and uses a stylus. It’s literally the antithesis of the iPad.

    Now, if you want a less “closed off” app store (whatever that means), and you want printing, file sharing, tethering, and Flash, then buy this Asus device whenever it ships! Go for it! Personally, I have no interest in any of those things. I rarely ever need Flash, have no use for tethering, use several alternatives for what you call “file sharing”, and have no reason to print from my iPad. I’d rather have a better-designed, more usable, more capable device than a half-assed one with a bunch of features I never use.

    As for importing photos, apparently you’re not aware that Apple sells both a Camera Connector and an SD Card Reader for the iPod?

  15. @is there

    I’m all for competition too. But that monstrosity is no competition! Seriously. It looks like something from Space 1999. Remember the staple gun / laser pistol. This thing is right up there.

  16. After reading at least the first page of comments, no one has pointed out this it says about $500 bucks AFTER bundling. In other words, $500 + 2 year service contract. Way more expensive than the iPad. In fact, if you do the math that some analists did on the iPhone at release, this thing is going to cost you $1700

  17. Apple takes two or more years designing a painstakingly detailed oriented new paradigm shift, introducing a fantastic product. Then these idiots come along and superficially slap a suposed competing product. But guess what, no attention to detail, thick as a brick and terrible battery life and I bet is heavier too.

  18. That thing is SWEET! I was going to get an iPad, but now I’m getting this cool “Space 1999” looking retro device. Im just hoping the internals are not retro.

  19. The only way this thing can potentially “kill” an iPad, is if you happen to drop one on an iPad. Be careful, because doing so may also kill cats and small dogs.

  20. Hi I’m an anus and I built it. A stylus? That’s such old technology. Also built with android? Didn’t android phones have all those viruses?
    Everyone wants a piece and so do I. I’m making one built off of C64 technology. What? It’ll be better than android and pc.

  21. MacDailyNews Take: – Eee’ stands for ‘Eee, you’re so stupid, you could’ve had an iPad.”

    Reminds me of the old joke –
    Q – “What do you get if you drop a piano down a Yorkshire mine shaft?”
    A – “Eee flat miner”
    … get it … E flat minor, ah never mind.

    —

    @ “Is there” I see what you did.

    “…what’s with the childish remarks?” – only to follow up with – “…I am not about to poo poo”.

    Stop it, ya’ killing me, you should be on the stage.

    …. The next one out of town!

  22. It will never fly, the case is soooo unlike a real PC. Where are the cool LED lights and funky liquid filled bubble patterns on the back side. And we need way more cooling fans… you know the nice big “quiet” ones that give the jet engine “power” effect.

    Then you’d have a winner!

  23. That’ll certainly be able to crush it’s competition…
    LITERALLY.

    iPhones, iPads, camcorders, house pets, your wife, husband, in-laws and children, too… you name it, all can be pounded to a pulp with this monster.

    EEEEEEEEEE, indeeeeeeeeeeeeeed.

  24. Funny, but this is Enderle we are talking about. It would be more like:
    “If there was an earthquake, someone could fall on the iPad. If it was upright, the edge is thin enough that the user could be decapitated. The Eee was smartly designed to be too thick for this to happen.”

  25. Would it be possible for apple to make an iSight for the iPad that you would connect the bottom of the iPad or in that case the way that that connector they make for adding pictures could essentially be a way of adding a little bar at the bottom that would give us an iSight and USB ports? I thi nk apple left these out cuz they felt the majority of ppl don’t need this or it would add weight and until they can fit those things in it where it doesn’t add any extra weight they will just leave them out? Just an idea or maybe a third party developer could make one?

  26. love that it’s so big and heavy you need your whole arm to support its weight.

    “iPad Killer”?

    No.

    “iPad Owner Killer”.

    Anyone who owns an iPad is gunna see that thing and laugh themselves to death.

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