NetbookTech

The Eee PC S101 is finally official. ASUS officially launched the new ultra-slim and colorful netbook today in Taiwan. The netbook will be available in three colors – Brown, Champagne, and Graphite, will have a weight of around 1kg and will be a mere 1.8cm thick. The full specs are as follows:

• Intel Atom processor
• Intel 945GSE / ICH7-M chipset
• 10.2 inch wide-screen LED backlit TFT with 1024 x 600, 252K color display
• 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet Controller
• 802.11n Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.0
• 1GB DDR2 memory
• 16GB/32GB/64GB SSD
• 20GB Eee Online Storage
• 1 VGA port
• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• 1 RJ-45 port
• 2 audio jacks – headphone/microphone in
• 0.3 megapixel webcam
• 4 in 1 media card reader with support for MMC, SD, Memory Stick, and Memory Stick PRO
• Multi-touch touchpad
• HD Audio
• Stereo Speakers
• Digital Array Microphone
• Polymer battery 36 W/hr
• Measures 264 x 180.5 x 18 ~ 25 mm
• Weighs 1kg

Now comes the downer – the pricing. The ASUS Eee PC S101 will be available in three versions:

• 16 GB SSD, Windows XP, inclusive of an additional 16 GB SD card: USD $699
• 32 GB SSD, Linux operating system: USD $699
• 64 GB SSD, Linux operating system: USD $799

I’m not sure about all of you but the pricing is perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the S101. Sure the netbook is thin and colorful, but pricing it above the $600 dollar mark makes it a wee bit expensive for the typical consumer. If I can get a netbook with the same feature set yet in a form factor that’s 1 inch thick and half the price, then guess what – I’m going to get that netbook over the S101. Now granted, it appears that ASUS is attempting to capture the high end market with the S101. It’s probably hoping that folks who were thinking about purchasing $1000+ ultra-portable notebook systems would instead consider a $700+ super-thin netbook instead. I’m just not sure if there really is a high end market for netbooks.

[Check it out via Electronista]

[Additional pics at Eee PC News]