Asus Eee PC 1000

We just put the finishing touches on our full review of the Eee PC 901 12G XP, so we called ASUS to ask for final U.S. pricing. Our rep at ASUS was kind enough not only to give us an MSRP for the 901, but also pricing for the 1000 and 1000H series. However, he was careful to note that the prices for the 1000 series are “estimated and subject to change,” meaning that ASUS may adjust the amounts before release, but that this is their current plan.

• Eee PC 901 (both Linux and Windows versions): $599
• Eee PC 1000 (both Linux and Windows versions): $699
• Eee PC 1000H (Windows version only): $649

While our rep told us U.S. specs are not 100% final for the 1000 series, we know from ASUS’ release at Computex that the 1000 series will sport a 10″ screen, the same CPU, and probably 40GB of SSD storage (as opposed to 20GB on the 901 and 900). The 1000H will be similar to the Eee PC 1000, except it will carry an 80GB hard drive instead of an SSD.

To be fair, ASUS is not alone in its pricing as one of its main competitors, the HP Mini-Note starts at $499, but goes above $700 if you add the good stuff like a 6 cell battery and a 7,200 rpm drive. But as more mini-notebooks creep above the $599 mark, we have to ask: at what point do they become too expensive?

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