By Chris Nicholls
SYDNEY: Asus has officially announced the arrival of its Eee PC 1000 in Australia, one working week after JB Hi-Fi put it on sale in its recent catalogue.
The latest version of the ever-expanding Eee line, the 1000 Series comes with a 10-inch display, 80 GB hard disc (a first for the Eee PC line-up) and Intel’s new Atom processor.
While it may be larger and heavier, at 1.45 kg, than previous iterations, Asus is claiming its new ‘Super Hybrid Technology’, which allows users to adjust CPU frequency, voltage and LCD brightness, means the Eee PC 1000 can run for up to 4.5 hours.
The Eee PC 1000 is available in both black and white and will sell for $699 with Windows XP Home.
This latest model caused some controversy when it appeared in JB Hi-Fi’s latest catalogue on Monday, which JB Hi-Fi chief executive Richard Uechtritz said at the time was likely due to the good relationship JB had with Asus.
However, an Asus spokesperson contradicted Uechtritz, saying the early sales date was a case of first in, first served and that no exclusive distribution deal existed.