As the ASUS Eee PC celebrates its first birthday, an interview between Laptop Magazine and CEO Jerry Shen revealed a few clues as to what is in the future for the tiny notebook that launched the netbook market.
The ASUS Eee PC has been hugely successful, selling almost four million to date. It is expected to pass the 5 million mark by the end of the year. Those numbers do not include the Eee Box and the Eee Top that is about to start shipping.
In the upcoming year, ASUS plans several enhancements for the Eee PC. In early 2009, it will add touchscreen model. The company is still exploring form factors and both tablet and conventional versions are being considered. Later on, it will offer models with Windows 7. In all, a number of products are planned with a price range from USD$250 to USD$700. But none of the new models will have screens larger than 10-inches and there are plans for an Eee-branded phone. ASUS will also continue to focus on extending battery life, fast boot up times, quiet performance, and low system temperatures.
We can also expect to continue to see a number of variants. Shen claims that such a move allows it to give users a lot of choices and flexibility.
Look for ASUS to unveil new products at CES 2009 in January.