Jun 23, 2011 07:26 GMT  ·  By

It appears that the development efforts of the next-generation NVIDIA Tegra platform are far enough along that leaks concerning IT companies' plans to use said Tegra 2 SoC are already happening.

When it comes to the tablet market, one can more or less safely say that ASUS made a favorable impression when it unleashed the Eee Pad Transformer, shortage or not.

Considering this, it is not so surprising to learn of a rumor saying that the outfit is now working on the slate's successor.

Like with all rumors, the obligatory grain of salt is recommended, although, if one were to consider another Kal El-related report, the likelihood that this newest one is valid increases by quite a margin.

One will remember that the main asset of the Eee Pad Transformer is that a detachable keyboard can be added or removed at any time.

This isn't so uncommon anymore, what with Bluetooh keyboard docks and the like now on sale, but the Transformer was one of the first models to offer this physical keyboard functionality to prospective buyers.

The fact that reviewers also spoke well of it definitely helped with ASUS' enthusiasm, mood that has prompted it, says Digitimes, to move forward with the next one.

The NVIDIA Tegra 3 Kal El is precisely the platform that the next Transformer will employ, along with the Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.

It is not perfectly clear when it will ship, but it may be even as soon as October this year (2011), at which point the outfit might further extend its lead.

For those interested in sales figures, 400,000 Transformers were sold during the first half of the year, securing the top supplier position for ASUS, although the price of $400 didn't bring too high a profit. Then again, the optional keyboard dock has been selling rather well itself.