Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 14 January 2008 06:50
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 2
The ASUS Eee PC is the standout “portable PC” of the moment, officially selling for AUD $499 and coming complete with Linux OS, Open Office,
Skype, Firefox and plenty more. Initially selling out and for sale
through Myer stores only, the Eee PC retains its iPhone-like popularity
into 2008, with ASUS signing up plenty of new Australian retailers to
meet the strong demand.
Officially going on sale in Australia for AUD
$499 on Saturday Dec 1, 2007, exclusively from Myer’s Sydney City
department store, and officially selling out (in that store) by 12.30pm
the same day, the Eee PC bandwagon isn’t slowing down as we enter 2008
but instead continues accelerating at top speed.
Myer stores in other cities started selling the Eee PC from Monday Dec
3, with the same thing happening: rapid sales leading to ‘sold out’
signs in major capital cities by the end of the day, although some
‘metropolitan stores’ outside of the CBD areas of capital cities still
had ‘limited quantities’.
Since then, the mania over the Eee PC has been as strong in Australia
as it has been elsewhere in the world, thanks to the Eee PC being a
remarkably powerful, useful and portable computer at a price in the
relatively low three figures – something totally opposite to ‘ultra
portable notebook PC’ vendors whose tiny models usually come with
towering price tags.
Available in white and now black, the Eee PC (which stands for ‘easy to
learn, easy to work and easy to play’), ASUS today announced it is
extending distribution of the Eee PC to major Australian retailers
beyond Myer, something we thought would have to happen given the Eee’s
allure, and given the fact we saw the white model Eee PC on sale at
Officeworks last week for AUD $488 - $11 cheaper than the official
recommended retail price.
Commenting on the move to make the Eee PC much more widely
available, Ted Chen, Managing Director of ASUS Australia, said, “The
Eee PC has
taken Australia by storm, fascinating the public and captivating the
media. Due to the tremendous enthusiasm the Eee PC has generated, ASUS
is pleased to be extending distribution to Australia’s major retailers
to meet consumer demand.”
“The Eee PC has been moving fast since it hit
Myer stores in December 2007 and continues to do so. So far
approximately 80% of stock has been sold through major Australian
retailers and we are trying to get as much allocation as possible from
our headquarters to ensure there is stock on shelves. There is a high
demand for the Eee PC worldwide and Australia is no exception!”
So the full list of Eee retailers now includes Betta Electrical, David
Jones, The Good Guys, Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Myer, Officeworks,
Retravision and WOW Sight & Sound.
There’s no mention of
Bing Lee, Clive Peeters,
Big W, Kmart, Target, Dick Smith, Tandy or other retailers, but the
list ASUS now has on board is still quite impressive and places the Eee
PC in reach of Australians just about anywhere they are.
Update: A reader called 'psycore' has noted below that Bing Lee do
indeed stock the Eee PC, so I called their Skygarden store in Sydney's
CDB to check and was told they had them in black and white at $499.
About the only surprise is really Clive Peeters, whose tagline of ‘e...
e... easy’ dovetails nicely with the name of the Eee PC, although on a
more serious note, if demand continues picking up, retailers who aren't
stocking the Eee could well be knocking on ASUS' door to stock up.
So, what can you do with the Eee PC, and what's so good about it? Please read on to page 2.
