Follow us on TwitterI was planning an article about the Asus Eee PC today. I wanted to write about a single product (like I did with the MSI Wind yesterday). But I’ve been wrestling over whether to write about the model 900, which is currently available, or the model 901, which is rumored to be shipping on July 8.
Then, over the past several days, the rumors about other Eee PC models has filled the blogosphere. There are reports of a model 903, 904, 904 HD, 905, 1000 and an Eee Monitor. In particular, the 904 HD (the HD stands for Hard Drive not High Definition) is speculated to be shipping in the USA within next two weeks.
So while we wait for Asus to confirm or deny these rumors – or to simply provide some real information, I thought I’d leave an Eee PC article for another day.
After communicating with a lot of people today and reviewing some key stats, I’ve come to a couple of conclusions.
First, people who plan to purchase a ULPC are most excited about the MSI Wind. Based on my statistically inaccurate polling method, I would estimate the ratio between the MSI Wind vs. any Eee PC model to be about 10:1.
MSI done a commendable job of creating a real buzz in anticipation of the July 7 ship date here in the USA.
Meanwhile, Asus has been very busy introducing Eee PC products and spawning rumors about many more. In the media, you read all about the Eee PC 700, 701, 702, 900, 901, 903, 904, 905 and 1000. For those in the industry, it is tough to remember which models have which features.
But for consumers, it is even more difficult. Instead of the models listed above, they find these models at their local store: the Eee PC 2G Surf, 4G Surf, 4G, 8G, 12G, and 20G. Also some of these models come with Linux and others with Microsoft Windows XP. You can buy the 4G with Linux or Windows, but the 12G is only available with Windows while the 20G is only available with Linux.
So when I talk to people about the MSI Wind, they are excited and they discuss the product in precise terms. When you talk to people about the Eee PC, they are confused which product are you talking about, the ones already being shipped or the ones rumored to be in the pipeline?
Regarding purchase intent, when I talked about the MSI Wind, many are prepared to make a purchase or already have placed their order and are awaiting shipment.
With the Eee PC, most probable buyers are in a wait and see pattern. They are not buying today’s products for one of two reasons. First off, they are waiting on the yet-to-be shipped products. They want to see what features are included and where the price points fall. Many also believe that the current Eee PC products will see price cuts, so they are waiting to make a purchase.
A few are awaiting products from other manufacturers before putting their bucks on the table. The Acer Aspire One or the Dell Mini-Inspiron are most often mentioned.
So in summary, hats off to MSI for creating a real and positive buzz around the USA introduction of the Wind ULPC.
And for Asus, I’m hoping that they clear the fog they’ve created so that customers clearly see what they are offering.
