Asus Eee – Linux Finally Beating the Piss out of Windows?
The sale of new PC’s with windows is declining! The average person watching TV would think that Mac is winning this war, with all the “Mac vs PC” and the new Mac Airbook. Just read Windows caught between Mac and Linux. It reveals that Mac’s operating system share went from 9% to 14% from 2007 to 2008. That’s only 5% – but it’s significant. PC’s grew 9 percent in shipped units, but Mac’s saw 60% growth. In 2007 Wal-Mart sold out of their Everex Green PC’s (gPC) with Linux installed – but they sold out online. The retail versions were pulled from store shelves. I guess this only shows that geeks purchase online, but the popularity of the $199 Wal-Mart Linux PC’s should have been a great indicator to how well these Eee PC’s would do for Asus.
This post of part of The Smorgasbord Tech Reviews series!
Although no one is really tracking Linux PC sales (linux sold on a brand new PC) – the Asus Eee PC 4G Surf is all over the Amazon top selling “Computers and Hardware” list taking 8 out of the top 25 spots, including #4 and #4 beating ALL the apple models. The “Asus Eee PC” takes up 9 of the top 25 spots for Amazon’s Best Selling Notebooks category, here taking #2 and #3 spots beaten only by the Sony VAIO – and again beating all Mac’s. Maybe that’s why Asustek’s chairman predicts they will be selling 2 million Linux PC’s in 2008.
Why is the Asus Eee PC so popular?
So why is the “Asus Eee PC” a sleeping giant? Let see what Wikipedia has to say about the Asus Eee PC. It’s a “subnotebook” (or “minibook” in the UK) and the three EEE’s stand for “Easy to Learn, Easy to Work, Easy to Play”. They came out and sold 300,000 units in 2007. Some say it’s a response to the OLPC or One Laptop Per Child initiative. You get a lot of bang for the buck with the EEE PC models ranging in price from $300-$500. The 7″ display (800×480) doesn’t take up all the space within the lid because the remaining room is left for optional speakers, microphone, and camera (0.3 megapixel 30fps) in the top. The Eee PC’s use solid state drives or “SSD” instead of traditional spinning disk, which means it’s less prone to damage from shock if it’s dropped. The SSD drive’s are soldered to the motherboard to reduce costs, so you won’t be upgrading that. You also get an MMC / SD memory card slot, 3 USB 2.0 ports, headphone jack, VGA out, and Kensington lock slot. You get Wireless b/g and 10/100 wired ethernet connections. The wireless connection is supplied by the installed card in the PCIe mini-card slot, a second PCIe slot is empty. Some models have DDR2 So-Dimm ram that can be expanded, it’s one socket expandable up to 2GB. I did read that currently the Xandros kernel supplied only uses up to 1GB of RAM anyway. I read that earlier models were “slotted” RAM, but there was no access door to reach it so buyer beware on that too.
The Eee PC’s reported boot in about 20-22 seconds, and Xandros Linux is preinstalled (which of course is a version of Debian). Most versions come with Firefox, Open Office, Skype, Tux Paint, E-mail and Internet radio apps, google Docs, and a Wikipedia lookup tool. The 4 cell Lithium-Ion batter has about 2 hrs 45 minutes of life, and the entire unit (Eee PC) weighs about 2 lbs. Processor in most of these models is 900 Mhz Intel Celeron. The measurements are 8.9 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches and you get a one year warranty on parts and labor.
The bottom line is, these things are sleek, fast-booting, open source gadgets that are cool looking (available in 9-odd pastel colors), purportedly long lasting (SSD drives), and cheaper (and a helluva lot more functional) than both an iPod Touch or iPhone. And – they’re only 2 lbs! I think every geek should have one.
I think the proof is the reviews of actual users. In Amazon reviews of the Eee 4G Surf (the 800 Mhz, 512MB Ram, 4GB HD black version) the score is 4.5 out of 5 stars and 167 reviews. I think that’s pretty damn respectable. The reviews I read said “the Eee PC made a great media player” and another guy said “make a great little Windows computer”. Apparantely the Eee PC ships with very simple instructions to replace Xandros Linux with a licensed copy of Windows XP. Some people use a 4GB SD card for additional storage. One guy writes “very user friendly” despite the fact that he was “never a huge Linux fan”. Also “highly recommended for adults and kids, recommended for all ages”. That’s probably because with this small form factor the keyboard and touchpad are noticably smaller. One reviewer said “beware for people with large hands”. I would imagine that means this small device is a boon for kids with small fingers and hands.
Other reviewers write “perfect traveling laptop”, “cheaper than iphone”, “outstanding”, and “great for personal use”. There are of course comments from not so happy people compaining about the lack of software choices, small keyboard, small amount of storage, and connecting to certain digital devices (cell phones and PDA’s). Many of these reviewers admit they were not familiar enough with Linux – to the Eee PC’s may remain a bit slanted to the “geek” crowd for now. But selling 2 million of these in 2008 means that there are a lot more geeks nowadays!
Here are 2 video reviews on YouTube, one is for the Linux version of the Eee PC, and the second is for Windows XP installed on the Eee PC:
Where can I get the best deal on a “Asus Eee PC“?
The Asus Eee’s are best sellers on Amazon (17 different models currently listed in various colors
[nms:asus eee pc -skin -charger -sdhc -case -sleeve -mount -screen -battery -keyboard -cover,8,0,0,smorgas.asus.eee]
