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CES: Asus will not release its 7in Tegra 3 tablet in the UK
TAIWANESE HARDWARE MAKER Asus has confirmed that it does not plan to release its 7in tablet with a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor in the UK.
The Asus unveiled its 7in tablet on Monday at CES with a price tag of just $249 (£160) and the lack of availability in the UK is likely to leave many consumers disappointed.
"In the UK we don't see a demand for the 7in tablet at the moment and we will be focusing on releasing a Padfone, which is a smartphone and tablet hybrid. This will be formally announced at Mobile World Congress [MWC] next month," John Swatton, marketing manager for Asus in the UK told The INQUIRER.
"Asus hasn't sold a branded smartphone in the UK, so there is no user base for 3G devices at present."
Asus gave THE INQUIRER a sneak peek at the the Padfone, which comes in two parts. Users will get a smartphone running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and be able to slot this into the back of a 10in tablet that displays content directly from the handset.
The Padfone debuted at Computex last year, and although Asus has yet to reveal its full specifications, it did confirm that the smartphone and tablet components will share the SIM card, processor and operating system.
"The 10in tablet is not intended to be a standalone tablet, but it will have some features that can be used independently of the phone. Full specifications together with pricing and availability date will be announced at MWC," Swatton said.
He also confirmed that the firm's highly anticipated Transformer Prime hybrid device will start shipping in the UK on 12 January and that the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for it will be made available almost immediately. µ
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Demonstrably the 7" format is effectively 'optimised' for pockets ... or to be more accurate - historically, pockets are optimised for ease of access to information and the security of personal information devices.
ASUS has a good device in this genre and they should be advised to market it ASAP.
Otherwise they will be completely overwhelmed by the likes of HUAWEI, SAMSUNG, HTC et al.
IMHO, even the omnipresent Apple Corp is showing signs of hatching a 7" device - and, presently, seriously at risk of announcing a 'damp squib' in their current product iPad replacement.
My guess is that Apple's 7" offering is waiting in the wings.
Do the right thing ASUS - be daring - announce your 7" product very soon.
I completely agree with Matchstick - there would be massive demand! People want an affordable tablet and this is EXACTLY what Asus are offering. $249 - £160 is almost impulse buy territory!
Asus may be thinking that because the Kindle Fire hasn't launched here, people aren't interested. Entirely not true - lots of people are awaiting its release and regardless, if the MeMo is released before the Fire, this can only mean more sales for Asus.
I'm a huge fan of Asus but sorely disappointed by this news.
If Asus are saying there's no demand for a cheap 7" tablet in the UK they clearly weren't paying attention to how well the 7" HTC Flyer sold when DSG & Amazon dropped the price down to £200 for the wifi version and £250 for the 3G.
I've always loved Asus's stuff and if they were selling a 7" Tegra 3 tab here for sub £200 I would definitely buy it as I have been considering the Transformer/Prime but both way out of my price range at the moment.
ASUS is not saying its not EVER going to release a 7in Tegra3 tablet in the UK. Instead they are saying they don't believe it will sell well right now, so they are waiting which IS a smart move.
It's all about supply and demand, right now there is no demand for one, thus there is no supply :)