Asus has announced details of its up-coming iPad rival, the Eee Pad, and made a surprising declaration: the planned release of a Windows-based edition has been ditched in favor of a Android version.
Speaking to Netbook News, the Eee Pad team at Asus confirmed that the first model of the iPad-like slate device will be running Google’s Android mobile platform, rather than the embedded Windows CE platform from Microsoft which was originally announced.
It’s a smart move on Asus’s part: with Windows CE becoming increasingly long in the tooth for any purpose other than low-cost, embedded devices – having been superseded by the Windows Mobile range in ultra-portables and Windows 7 Starter Edition in netbooks – the move to Android will help keep the technology behind the Eee Pad fresh, while access to the already established Android Marketplace will bring access to over 70,000 applications – a nice number to be able to wave at prospective purchasers.
Aside from the decision to ditch Windows, very few additional details were made available during the discussion: although a model number was disclosed – EP101TC – no further specifications have been announced beyond those already available: the Eee Pad will be a 10″ unit – slightly bigger than the iPad – and most likely include Nvidia’s Tegra 2 system-on-chip technology along with up to 64GB of internal storage.
Interestingly, Asus has claimed that it will be waiting for the launch of Android 3.0 – the next major release in Google’s roadmap for its mobile platform. While Android 3.0 promises to bring a whole host of improvements, it could delay the launch of the device while Asus tests and ports the new version to the slate.
Even without such delays, Asus has confirmed that it won’t be launching the Eee Pad until at least the beginning of next year, which could prove a mistake: with the iPad enjoying brisk sales, the longer companies leave the market to Apple the more the risk entrenchment. Launching a competing product at the start of a new trend is a battle – launching one after the competition has had a year or so’s head-start is near-suicide.
With that said, if Asus can keep the price down – something it has experience of with its range of Eee PC netbooks – Apple could finally be in for some stiff competition in the slate marketplace.
More details – including, hopefully, fully-functioning prototypes – are expected to be announced at next year’s Consumer Electronics Show.
