I think the size of the Eee was the reason it was a hit. Making it larger and slightly more expensive I think is a mistake. At those prices, it’s very tempting just to pay slightly more and get a bigger laptop. History also hasn’t been too kind to laptop of that size. There were tablet pc’s at that size that didn’t sell too well. Didn’t sony also have a laptop at that size a while back?

They have lost all track of the four key traits they put into the Eee which made it succeed; Low cost, ease of use, small size and sweet/sexy form factor.

Asus created the space, perhaps it is up to someone else to continue it. They still have a chance, especially if they at least get the price factor under control, but it is fading.

Perhaps we need to look to Dell. The UMPC form seem ideal for their style and market position.

Z

The original Eee PC was such a success because it combined easy portability with a low price. All Asus’ follow-up models have been larger and heavier than their predecessors, and noticeably pricier, too.

This product line is rapidly leaving the subnotebook category behind, and simply becoming yet another collection notebooks.

I’m hoping that some of Asus’ competitors will learn the lesson it never did. Both Dell and Acer are supposed to be coming out with inexpensive sub-notebooks; let’s hope they can successfully take up the torch the Eee PC has dropped.