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Asus Eee Pad Transformer Makes Big Splash Worldwide

2011/05/18 | By Ken Liu

Taipei, May 18, 2011 (CENS)--Asustek Computer Inc. is cranking out with all-out efforts the newly released Eee Pad Transformer tablet, which doubles as a netbook when clipping into a dedicated keypad, to keep up with excessive demands worldwide.

The company's executives said the gadget has been well received in the United States, the United Kingdom, Taiwan and mainland China since its debuts in these markets in past few months.

The computer is deemed as the company's cutting-edge product to compete against iPad for the U.S. market. When promoting the computer stateside, the company sells the 16-gigabite device that does not go with the external keyboard for a drawing US$399 apiece.

According to the company's executives, Asustek is ramping up output of the computing devices towards 10,000 systems per day from current 7-8,000 systems. They estimated the output will reach 300,000 systems in the second quarter without much difficulty as factors that were previously thought to affect components supplies are diminishing.

To secure steady supplies of these components, the company has sent its chief executive officer (CEO), Jerry Shen, and procurement executives to court the suppliers.

Components suppliers pointed out that Asustek introduced the tablet at a time when the supply chains were sinking into a chaos caused by the March 11 Sendai earthquake and ensuing tsunami, hamstring its plan to boost the output.

Asustek executives confessed that supplies of touch screens and mechanic parts remain tight.

Industry executives pointed out that Eee Pad Transformer is a striking departure from tablets that imitate iPad, making it distinguished from its rival products in the market.

The company is working on a plan to develop next-generation tablet. It has set the goal of shipping two million tablets throughout this year.