Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 08 April 2008 19:58
Opinion and Analysis
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If you want to buy an ASUS Eee PC loaded with Windows XP in Australia,
you’ll pay an $80 premium over the $499 Linux version – but Best Buy in
the US has both models at the same price – US $399.
The ASUS Eee PC has been the breakthrough ultraportable computer of 2007 and 2008 – far more than the OLPC could ever have hoped to be.
Widely available at retail, running standard software on either Xandros Linux or Windows XP, it’s certainly more expensive than the OLPC but, for everyday users, far more useful.
Yes, running Windows XP on a 4GB Eee PC means you get less than 2GB of storage space on the built-in 4GB SSD flash drive. Add in Microsoft Office and you’ll have even less space.
Of course, you can always plug in an SD card, or a USB flash drive, and beef up your Eee PC that way.
But who says you need to use Microsoft Office? Open Office is quite compatible, and takes up far less space. There’s also a raft of online Office alternatives from Google Docs, Zoho, Think Free and others which anyone can use – although you will need to be online to take full advantage.
Open Office actually comes pre-installed on the Linux version of the Eee PC anyway, and really, if you are using the Eee PC as your primary, or only computer, you’ll just have to bite the bullet and spend $20-$50 on an SD card or USB stick to carry more data around.
What is interesting about the Eee PC in the US is that Best Buy is
selling the Linux and the Windows version of the Eee PC at the same price – US $399. There is no $80 premium as we have here in Australia.
Is this pricing policy some ASUS is doing exclusively for US consumers? Or just a retailer who has flexibility on the recommended retail price? Perhaps Best Buy have made a pricing error. Any of the three scenarios are possible.
Now, you might say that Australians will have a hard time buying anything from Best Buy. That might be true, but if so, you can always visit Australian website
PriceUSA to buy products from the US and have them delivered to you in Australia.
Please read onto page 2 for more information.
