Asus Eee Pad Tablet: Potential iPad Killer?

February 10, 2010 By Nick Mokey

Asus may have a chance at running with the iPad if it can manage to exploit the device’s weaknesses and build on what Apple has done right.

Disappointed with Apple’s iPad? You’re not alone, which is why Asus’ announcement of a “killer product” coming in June raised so many eyebrows. While Apple’s iPhone represents a perfect cocktail that few competitors have been able to match, the iPad’s many shortcomings make it ripe for competition. Here are five things we think Asus will have to do to get some traction against Apple’s class-defining iPad.

Sell for less

Current rumors peg this thing at $500 or less. Depending on the hardware, that might still look like a bargain beside Apple’s base-model iPad, but we know Asus can do better. Recent iSuppli breakdowns show the $499 iPad costs Apple just $229, and all the parts for your basic, run-of-the-mill netbook only add up to about $200. We think Asus could move a tablet at $400 and still make a tidy profit, making it a genuinely competitive alternative to a netbook.

Come with touch-customized software

You can pick up an Archos 9 today if you just want a slate form factor running Windows 7 on netbook hardware. Besides the pretty chassis and world-class marketing behind the iPad, its biggest differentiator is finger-friendly software. Asus needs to make to take a clue and do more than just slap an icon-based launcher over the basic Windows 7 interface, as it has done with its touch-enabled Eee Top desktops.

Use new display technology

Apple got off easy calling the iPad an e-reader despite its standard LCD display, but any true reading device should really have an outdoor-readable transflective display, like the e-ink used in the Kindle and Nook. Qualcomm’s upcoming Mirasol color displays could offer a compromise between color LCDs and monochrome e-ink, and being first to market with one would make Asus’s pad a class leader.

Include multitouch

We were going to mention that any upcoming Asus tablet would have to multitask, but that’s almost a given for any company but Apple, considering it will most likely ride on a platform like Windows 7 or Google Android. Instead, we’ll harp on multi-touch. Many tablets, including the Archos 9, have gone with cheap resistive screens, which are totally unacceptable for a device with only touch input. A capacitive screen is a must, as is multitouch.

Shoot pictures and video

How Apple managed to leave this simple $3 part off the iPad is beyond us, but a 1.3-megapixel camera sensor makes a huge difference to most users who want to share what they experience with the rest of the world. Adding a forward-facing one for videoconferencing would just twist the knife a little more.

Connect to 3G or WiMax Networks

Nobody wants a tablet that can’t leave the house. Although Asus need not partner with any networks, a basic 3G or WiMax modem will be a necessity for users who intend to use their tablets as 24/7 connectivity machines, even if it’s presented as an expensive option.

Showing 11 comments

lgz350 at 1:01am 19th June 2010 Thats what i'm talking about, honestly iPad isnt worth my time right now... waiting to see what they do... As for the ASUS's buttons on the side, i dont really mind that... i like having options to select/deselect or navigate menus as opposed to HAVING to touch the thing ALL THE TIME. however if trying to replicate some sort of cursor... put a freakin trackball on it... jeez.. nothing is more annoying to me than having to navigate a menu on something by D-Pad navigation...
hhhhk at 4:57am 22nd May 2010 upscaled ipod touch, more like
dang at 10:43am 28th April 2010 Video my friend. That's all I've been really using mine for. Netflix, ABC Video player, etc.

Email is easier to use on it as well, and web browsing is blazing fast compared to iPhone/touch. Games are pretty cool on it, but by far the most time I've spend is just watching shows like Leverage, etc on Netflix.
Michael D at 10:35am 28th April 2010 ASUS must capitalize on what is the biggest flaw on the iPad, NO USB. If they don't include a USB port, what good is it? I already own an iTouch, and the iPad is just a large screen iTouch, so why would i buy one?
cloudstardust5 at 10:13pm 19th March 2010 it's the extremely good-looking style of the iPhone and iPad that give people the 1st impression that they are good products. If Eee Pad looks like the above image...with the buttons at the side....I'm definitely not going to buy it. It's so ugly. Can somebody tell Asus to remove those buttons at the side....they're are horrible!
dan3458 at 3:54pm 10th March 2010 I'm afraid it is just a giant iPhone :/
lgz350 at 10:14am 17th February 2010 too true, i bought one of the first iPhones, the 4 gig model. And i dont know what all the hype is about the $100 rebate... they told me that i was out of "date range" that was accepted to recieve this... one word "LAME"

I agree a 2MP (minimum) web cam forward facing would be nice, but i'm not a video chatter... so i wouldn't use it anyhow.

What i'm more concerned with is the OS itself, is it the iPhone OS scaled up? or is it a trimmed version of it's OSX? My main concern is the ability to do more than the iPhone, i'm really not excited about a "Big iPhone".

I would love to have my iTunes account hosted on this machine, and just transfer larger movies to my external hard drives for storage.

Someone please tell me that we're not looking an an upscaled iPhone/iTouch.
alex at 11:53pm 11th February 2010 I completely agree Ian. Its no surprise apple did this with the first gen ipad. Cause they did the same with the 1st gen iphone. 4gb and 8gb? There were plenty of relatively cheap alternatives to harddrive space at that time. But frankly put, it's how apple's business model works. Keep them wanting more. It's brilliant, yet incredibly irritating to the consumer who knows when he is getting ripped off.

Unfortunately the average joe isn't sitting here researching these devices like we fine folks. So there isnt a big enough voice in the demand saying "HEY, MORONS, STOP GIVING US THIS CRAP" So expect to see apple bringing in massive profits due to their hardware skimping. Its win win for them. Save money on hardware, make them have to upgrade later when we give them what they were already wanting.

Kinda see what I'm sayin?
Ian Bell at 11:42pm 11th February 2010 I am with Alex. I personally think it's ridiculous that the iPad does not have an integrate webcam. I am a Skype user and would use it constantly.

I would also wait for the 2nd Gen version to fix things before investing in the iPad.

Anyone else think that 16GB, even for the cheaper version, is just plain stupid? You can buy a 16GB thumbdrive for under $30, Apple really needs to up their game here. The base model should be 32GB IMO.
alex at 11:13pm 11th February 2010 if it was a front facing camera (and it will be a front facing camera) the amount of use would be determined by the massive community that your obviously not apart of. In the circles I run with, skype is our main communication. Webcam and skypes are our modern day telephone. Especially now that its integrated into our mobile phones now.

And for the record, im an iphone user. i wont touch that ipad until it gets out of beta like the iphone was. The first gen iphone was crap, just like the ipad. it was missing tons of features most would expect given other similar products being added to the market, just like the ipad.
Jamie at 1:02am 11th February 2010 Camera? Really? Maybe for Skype, but even then, I doubt it would really get used.
And that's assuming its a front-facing camera, if it was a rear-facing camera, it would be even more useless. Who would take photos with a 10-inch device, holding such a low resolution camera?

Jump off the bandwagon and have a real opinion of your own mate.