Netbooks may finally be about to start fulfilling their promise of being inexpensive devices. Jerry Shen, Asustek’s CEO, indicated that the company expects to launch an Eee PC that will sell for about USD$200 sometime in 2009. No details about specifications were revealed though.
Shen also indicated that the company has adjusted its market and pricing strategies for entry-level and mid-range netbooks. It expects to grab 30 percent of the netbook market in 2009 with a shipment target set between 6 and 7.5 million units. We will also see a gradual phasing out of 7- and 8.9-inch models in favour of more 10-inch models.
As part of the company’s Q3 2008 financial results announcement, Shen also revealed that the Eee PC was responsible for 22 percent of the company’s revenues. HDD-based models lead shipments over SSD-models by a ratio of 70 to 30 percent and Windows XP holds a 7:3 lead over Linux.