14 DAY TRIAL // While it was making inquiries into the status of ASUS' spin-off of Pegatron Technology, its manufacturing arm, Digitimes stumbled upon a very small bit of information that seemed to suggest that ASUS' summer would be packed. According to the website's report, the company is working on what Asustek Chairman Jonney Shih reportedly dubbed a “killer product,” set for launch during June, which is around the same time as the official spin-off.
Even though Digitmes reports are usually more elaborate, with details often making their way online in groups of more than one member, in this instance, the “killer product” quote is all that is given. There is absolutely no mention of the device's type or targeted market segment. Of course, with all the buzz around media tablets recently, expectations lean towards the idea that the company's new device will be the Eee Pad, a tablet PC whose existence has already been confirmed. Still, this is only a speculation, as there is no way of knowing just what the company has up its sleeve.
In the same report, Digitimes gives some info on the actual state of affairs at ASUS. It seems that the company finalized the spin-off of Pegatron on February 9 and that the two will be listed synchronously on June 24. Prior to that date, ASUS' stock will suspend trading from May 8 to June 23. Shih also reportedly stated that the company aimed to “become another apple,” although it would be different in the way that it would focus on open-source platforms. This includes Google and ARM combinations, or Intel/Windows, depending on user demand.
Other details in the report suggest that the company will invest more in promoting its notebooks and motherboards in South Asian countries such as Indonesia, as this area is supposedly seen as “a key driver for its future revenues.”