With Asus is predicting that their Windows based Eee PCs will outsell the original Xandros version by a ratio of 6 to 4 by the end of this year things will be very watched very closely by the consumer and ScaleGamer alike. Based on this Asus will ship 3 million Windows-based units.

Asustek Computer has officially announced its Windows XP-based Eee PC, and expects Windows versions to account for 60% of its five million unit shipment goal in 2008, according to Jonney Shih, chairman of the company.

The Windows XP-based Eee PC will launch in two versions, the 4G with a 3-megapixel webcam and 4G Surf model without webcam, priced at NT$14,490 (US$471.79) and NT$12,499, respectively. In contrast, prices for the same spec Linux-based models in the Taiwan market are NT$11,655 and NT$10,499.

Although Microsoft is scheduled to stop supplying Windows XP software licenses to OEMs and system builders by the end of June this year, since channel vendors and OEMs will normally hold a certain level of supply, the software should not see shortages until the end of the year, according to Davis Tsai, general manager of Microsoft Taiwan.

Tsai also pointed out that several other vendors, including Acer and Hewlett-Packard (HP), are also considering Windows for their upcoming small-size notebooks which are scheduled to launch later this year. Negotiations are still underway over whether these notebooks will adopt Windows Vista directly, Tsai added.

Source

Otto Berkes, the man originaly behind Origami at Microsoft shares his views and ideas on the Asus EeePC.

The Eee adheres to some of the core tenets of the ultra-mobile PC – a low-cost, highly mobile, full-fidelity companion computer. In fact, the Eee PC hits one of the key UMPC targets dead on; there’s one place where all of the other UMPC products missed – price.

Otto does a fine job of summing up what many current and future UMPC owners are thinking when considering their options, products and range available on the market.

Continue reading at Otto Berkes’ Blog