Asustek Promises iPad Rival, E-Reader

Asustek Computer, one of the pioneers of the netbook, has its sights set on other worlds to conquer. The company reportedly said it plans to launch its own e-reader and a tablet PC to rival Apple's iPad.

 

They're looking to have something out in the second half of the year, according to IDG News. Not many details at all were given, perhaps understandable this early in the process.

 

Jerry Shen, CEO of Asustek, said the company will focus on bringing content providers on board when it releases its tablet PC, according to IDG. He spoke during the company's fourth quarter investors conference.

 

'The company will also launch its first e-reader device, the Eee Book, at Computex Taipei 2010 electronics trade show,' which runs the first week in June, IDG reported.

 

'Shen hinted at creating a smartbook this year, a mini-laptop similar to a netbook but made using a microprocessor and other components normally found in smart phones,” the report said. “The devices offer far longer battery life than netbooks, which are made using laptop PC components.'

 

Maybe they just need to get into something new: Reuters (News - Alert) is reporting that Asustek 'expects shipments of its portable PCs to fall by up to 20 percent in the current three months from the previous quarter, lagging peers and market expectations.'

 

Asustek Computer's Web site said the company shipped about 2.7 million notebook PCs and 1.8 million Eee PC branded netbooks in the last quarter of 2009, and expects shipments in the current three months to fall about 10-20 percent.

 

'It's quite a huge decline they're forecasting,' Edward Yen, an analyst at UBS told Reuters.

On Thursday Monica Chen and Joseph Tsai, reporting from Taipei for DIGITIMES, wrote that 'Asustek Computer is aiming for annual notebook shipments of 20 million units in 2010, surpassing Toshiba and Lenovo (News - Alert) to become the fifth largest vendor worldwide, according to Shien-yueh Hsu, general manager of Asustek's notebook division.'

 

Of the 20 million units, 'Asustek expects 12 million units will be traditional notebooks, with the other eight million units Eee PCs,' they said.