Asus Aims To Be Better Than Apple
We have no issues with companies setting high goals, but this one's amongst the tallest of tall orders that we've seen. Currently, Apple is atop its game. Never before has the company been so iconic and influential in society, and it's pretty much a given that Apple's media players are the ones to beat. Heck, even its smartphone is giving rivals from RIM, HTC and Palm a run for their money.
That said, we still feel Asus' ambitions to "out-Apple Apple" aren't totally far-fetched. Just a few years ago, Asus was a name known only by PC enthusiasts. Mainstream consumers pointed their notebook purchases at Dell and HP, while Asus sat in the back corner struggling to be taken seriously. Now, it's a notebook mainstay. The reason? The Eee PC. Without question, Asus did a fantastic job of putting the netbook form factor on the map, and its Eee PC line is now synonymous with quality, good battery life and performance.
Jonathan Tsang, the vice chairman of Asus, had this to say: "Before, we have been too conservative. We need to do better communications with the customers to let them know Asus is not only an Asian company. Our goal is to provide products that are better than Apple’s."
Like we said, a bold goal for sure. But in a way, this is a high praise to Apple; rather than suggesting that its products should be as good or better than another PC maker's wares, Asus decided to set its sights on Apple, who doesn't produce a netbook at all and isn't really an Asus competitor in most respects. Still, there's no denying that Apple has captivated the globe with its design and product reliability, and if Asus can come anywhere close, we'd say the likes of Acer, NEC and everyone else in the PC notebook best watch out.
That said, we still feel Asus' ambitions to "out-Apple Apple" aren't totally far-fetched. Just a few years ago, Asus was a name known only by PC enthusiasts. Mainstream consumers pointed their notebook purchases at Dell and HP, while Asus sat in the back corner struggling to be taken seriously. Now, it's a notebook mainstay. The reason? The Eee PC. Without question, Asus did a fantastic job of putting the netbook form factor on the map, and its Eee PC line is now synonymous with quality, good battery life and performance.
Jonathan Tsang, the vice chairman of Asus, had this to say: "Before, we have been too conservative. We need to do better communications with the customers to let them know Asus is not only an Asian company. Our goal is to provide products that are better than Apple’s."
Like we said, a bold goal for sure. But in a way, this is a high praise to Apple; rather than suggesting that its products should be as good or better than another PC maker's wares, Asus decided to set its sights on Apple, who doesn't produce a netbook at all and isn't really an Asus competitor in most respects. Still, there's no denying that Apple has captivated the globe with its design and product reliability, and if Asus can come anywhere close, we'd say the likes of Acer, NEC and everyone else in the PC notebook best watch out.
