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ASUS preps $500 'iMac killer' Eee PC desktop

News Type: Event — Seeded on Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:43 AM EST
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ASUS is expanding its Eee PC line to include not one but multiple extra models, including an all-in-one desktop, the company said today at a press event. The E-Monitor will aim to do what the original Eee PC notebook did for portables by reducing the cost of entry for the class; the system will have a screen between 19 and 21 inches large but use Intel's low-cost Shelton platform to help drive down prices.

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{"commentId":1417025,"authorDomain":"michaelsautter"}
Michael Sautter

The price is appealing but how will the OS and software compare to an iMac?

{"commentId":1417025,"threadId":"211154","contentId":"1265948","authorDomain":"michaelsautter"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#1 - Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:53 AM EST
{"commentId":1417772,"authorDomain":"macemoneta"}
macemoneta

If you haven't used a recent Linux distribution, installed and customized for the platform by a competent individual, you will be surprised.

Several members of my family recently had their "last straw" moments with Windows. They checked out Vista, and hated it. Their hardware was good, so no reason to buy a new machine (e.g., a Mac) - so they came to me. I set them up with a fully configured Fedora 8 desktop. including Compiz (3D desktop effects). I loaded a few hundred games for the kids, office suites, etc.

When they saw their machine they had what Microsoft was hoping for: a real 'Wow!' moment. They've been using the machine for a week now (their first exposure to Linux) without any support from me. They fight over access, and are already talking about getting another machine to use with Linux.

To preempt the inevitable question: no, there's no more command line use on a modern Linux than there is on Windows.

Installing and customizing an OS is not trivial, whether its Windows, Linux or even Mac OS X. Most people use what's provided, and think that's the way it is. That's why most people get a pre-install - the vendor does it for you. That's why these days you get an OEM disk, not a retail version. If people had to use a retail version of Windows and hunt down and install all the drivers (the way we used to have to do it), then customize the configuration they wouldn't use a computer.

I haven't been impressed by any of the commercial pre-installs for Linux however. That's really what's holding back Linux. As the OEMs get the skills they will start to deploy more fully configured platforms. Then stand back and watch the wow.

Check out youtube for eeepc+compiz videos. While there are a lot of flashy effects, there are also very useful productivity enhancements. In addition, if you choose a popular distribution, you'll have 8000-10000 applications ready to install with just a click - all free.

{"commentId":1417772,"threadId":"211154","contentId":"1265948","authorDomain":"macemoneta"}
  • 3 votes
#1.1 - Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:44 PM EST
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{"commentId":1417292,"authorDomain":"kirklennon"}
Kirk Lennon

The use of the term "iMac killer" in the headline is simple link bait. No one looking considering a $1,500 iMac is going to change his or her mind and buy a $250 ASUS. It's not even remotely in the same league.

{"commentId":1417292,"threadId":"211154","contentId":"1265948","authorDomain":"kirklennon"}
  • 2 votes
Reply#2 - Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:53 AM EST
{"commentId":1417812,"authorDomain":"macemoneta"}
macemoneta

They are not in the same league in terms of the glitz and bling of owning a Mac. Functionally they are very much in the same league. The small size of the ASUS is even stealing some of the attention from Macs, even though it's an otherwise normal looking laptop.

{"commentId":1417812,"threadId":"211154","contentId":"1265948","authorDomain":"macemoneta"}
  • 2 votes
#2.1 - Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:56 PM EST
{"commentId":1418031,"authorDomain":"tcervo"}
gecko85
Functionally they are very much in the same league.

Functionally, no, they are NOT in the same league.

I have both an iMac and a MacBook Pro. Among other things, I do video editing. I can't even imagine what would happen if I tried to render a 30 minute HD video, with effects/titles/transitions, on an EeePC.

The current EeePC is great if you're using email and that's about it. For anything else, the screen is too small. I've tried it...Open even a modest spreadsheet and you've got an insane amount of horizontal scrolling. The desktop they're talking about, with a 19 to 21 inch screen, would solve that problem...but it would still be too underpowered for video work.

So, no, functionally they are NOT the same.

{"commentId":1418031,"threadId":"211154","contentId":"1265948","authorDomain":"tcervo"}
  • 3 votes
#2.2 - Wed Jan 30, 2008 1:39 PM EST
{"commentId":1419309,"authorDomain":"macemoneta"}
macemoneta

I don't think you'd want to do video encoding on an MBA either. In fact, almost any modern desktop running any OS would be faster than a Mac laptop at video encoding. If that's the only thing you are using as a measure, then a Mac laptop (any laptop) is a poor choice.

The vast majority of users do not do video encoding on any platform. They use the web, email, office documents, view photos and movies, listen to mp3s, and some light gaming. That's the functionality that's equivalent. That's the functionality that most people want from a laptop. And that's the functionality that's moving a couple of hundred thousand EeePCs a month (up to 4 million this year, projected).

{"commentId":1419309,"threadId":"211154","contentId":"1265948","authorDomain":"macemoneta"}
  • 2 votes
#2.3 - Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:37 PM EST
{"commentId":1419783,"authorDomain":"kirklennon"}
Kirk Lennon

The MacBook Pro is more powerful than the average desktop PC and is quite capable of video editing. But that's not the only criterion. Even formerly simple things such as viewing web pages has, in many cases, gotten far more demanding. Case in point: YouTube. Decoding video is a rather taxing task, and on a low-end computer will result in choppy frame-rates and general lag. Furthermore, think about how many people are making videos and uploading them. Video editing has gone totally mainstream. As for light gaming, if you mean Tetris-class, the ASUS is probably fine. A mid-range iMac, however, is capable of playing real "computer games."

That's the functionality that's equivalent. That's the functionality that most people want from a laptop.

This article is about a desktop.

{"commentId":1419783,"threadId":"211154","contentId":"1265948","authorDomain":"kirklennon"}
  • 1 vote
#2.4 - Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:00 PM EST
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