Asustek Eee Pad to hit channel in July Tweet

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.

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. Asustek will also add features that iPad currently does not support such as USB, integrated webcam, and Adobe Flash, Shih noted.

As for the impact of tablet PC, Shih expects the device reduce overall netbook demand by 10-20%. The company is also monitoring the tablet PC and e-book reader markets closely to prevent related products stepping into each other's demand and will maintain flexibility to launch products that suit the fast-changing market demand.

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.

In additional news, Micro-Star International (MSI) is also ready to launch its tablet PC, the M Pad, in the third quarter of 2010, but is conservative about initial shipments to prevent inventory buildup. MSI's current strategy is to observe Asustek's Eee Pad sales performance before deciding the strength of its shipments and marketing push.

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