Asus Eee PC: Just the Facts

I've written much about the rise of ultraportables, but it's nice to have hard numbers as well as the hand waving. Here are some from Asus:

Asustek Computer on Wednesday forecast it will nearly double shipments of the popular Eee PC low-cost laptop in the second quarter, compared to the first.

Eee PC shipments will rise to between 1.2 million to 1.3 million units in the three months ending June 30, Asustek said in presentation materials for its first quarter investors' conference. The company shipped 700,000 Eee PCs in the first quarter.

...

Shipments of the Eee PC have ramped up so fast that they could challenge the company's other laptop PC products. Asustek predicts it will sell between 1.3 million and 1.4 million notebook PCs during the second quarter, up from 1.3 million in the first quarter.

The company's Eee PC shipment target for this year is 5 million units.

Not bad for what many perceived as a niche product. And that's just the beginning.

Is The Lack of Open Source Drivers Driving You Mad?

On Open Enterprise blog.

Asus Eee Goes Weeeeeee!

Good news for Asus, but also for GNU/Linux:

Unprecedented demand for the low-cost baby laptop from both consumers and the education sector sees PC builder increase sales target to five million units for 2008 as UK retailers struggle to keep stock on shelves.

Asustek (also known as Asus) has revised its expectations for sales of its recently launched Eee PC low cost laptop, increasing sales forecast from three million units to five million.

For more analysis see my comments quoted here.