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Asustek chairman has "secret weapon" to compete with iPad 2

by David Quilty Feb 4th 2011 at 8:00PM

The chairman of Eee PC netbook maker Asustek Computer Jonney Shih is claiming to have a "secret weapon" to help his company compete with the iPad 2 when it is released in a few months. As reported by PCWorld, Shih recently talked with IDG News Service about the future of Eee PC netbooks, but he played coy when asked if the secret weapon was a new kind of tablet computer, saying "I think it's best not to say now. You will have to wait until the launch."

As recently as August 2010 it was reported that Asustek was selling fewer netbooks because of the success of the iPad, with only 14 percent of those shoppers interested in portable computing still considering a netbook over a tablet computer. With this in mind, Shih is going to need something special to keep up with the estimated 48 million iPads to be sold in 2011.

Anyone care to chime in as to what the "secret weapon" may be? A nuclear-powered netbook? A tablet computer that doubles as a dinner plate? Guess we'll just have to wait and see.



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The chairman of Eee PC netbook maker Asustek Computer Jonney Shih is claiming to have a "secret weapon" to help his company compete with...
 

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ryan

Is it nothing? I bet it's nothing.

February 05 2011 at 3:20 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to ryan's comment
Nick (xbl: andsoitgoes42)

That's true, it WOULD be the most secret weapon of all!

They could pull an "Emperor's New Clothes" style of thing, and it could be a new, top secret invisible pile of crap!

I mean, an awesome super powered thing... of thing.

February 06 2011 at 4:44 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
anon

well, 70 years ago somebody else in europe claimed to have "secret weapons" in stock. FUD...

if somebody have something secret, he never ever would announce it, think about it!

February 05 2011 at 12:35 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
JustAnnuthaDewd

I'm betting it's an Angry Birds-branded netbook. That'll win everyone over.

February 05 2011 at 7:20 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
sleepd

Ah, a secret weapon. As in, actually sending a product to market? Like the one they were promising to deliver by fall of 2010? With the mythical, unicorn-like Honeycomb, that was also supposed to ship by fall of 2010?

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/hiner/palmpad-eee-pad-and-lepad-line-up-to-challenge-ipad/5508

All this intrigue for a device they initially dismissed. They blew that one, why believe they'd do anything but make a cheap crappy imitation this time around either?

February 05 2011 at 4:44 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Hellohogo

he's so full of Shih...

February 05 2011 at 3:56 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Hellohogo's comment
AC88


I think I remember something about Saddam Hussein having secret weapons.

February 05 2011 at 7:52 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Buzz

It's a ThinkItHappens system combined with a molecular fabricator. Anything the owner thinks of is manifest in physical reality. Sadly, this didn't work out well for its original creators, the Krel, on Altair 4.

You know what they say about people who don't study history...

February 05 2011 at 1:31 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Zactu

The secret weapon is boasting we have a secret weapon when we don't have a secret weapon so that it scares the others to give up by thinking we have a secret weapon. With Asus, that could be it.

February 05 2011 at 1:17 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Zactu's comment
pictureme2

HAHAH! HAHAHA!!

February 08 2011 at 5:30 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Rego

It's probably a a thin netbook tablet with a screen that can rotate. Fold the keyboard and have a tablet screen with some touch capabilities-but it can play flash!

February 04 2011 at 10:17 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Andre

An iPad clone that can run IOS - if the user loads IOS themselves.

February 04 2011 at 9:45 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
pictureme2

Wait a minute... This could be some big secret weapon! Seriously! It might be better than Samsung and get very close to iPad and might hurt some of the sales of the iPad 2.

Now, I can't say much because I am an AppleFanBoy (heading to the apple store) anyway, this could be some real stuff here.

Then, everyone is going to laugh at us!! :(

However, I love everyone's comment!! You guys know your stuff!!

February 04 2011 at 9:14 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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