As I promised you in the EEE PC review page on this site, here’s the planning-decision making dialogue I imagined happening in Asus headquarters when the EEE PC started to become more than idea and a real product. I’ll call the technical staff guy Tech and the typical marketing head Mark in this imaginary discussion…
Mark: So, here we are, Tech. We need somethin’ different from the laptops we’ve already produced and sold, something that’s small, easy to use and especially cheap. Did you get the last one, Tech? Read my lips: C-H-E-A-P.
Tech: No problem, Mark. At the technical department we’ve already sketched some valid design and collected some good engineering ideas from the labs, I’ve just brought them in this folder righ here (opens a green folder and spreads some papers on the table, just in front of Mark). You see, no internal optical drive, as you suggested, and a fast flash memory main disk instead of a large, noisy and easy breakable traditional hard disk.
Mark: Lemme see, uhmmm… nice design, I like it, but… (pointing his finger on some of the drawings) what are those F-F-U-U-S-V-E letters on the back of the machine?
Tech (smiling): They’re ports, Mark, a couple o’ firewire, two more USBs, S-video and VGA out and of course Ethernet and modem plugs, as you’ll usually find them on any laptop nowadays.
Mark: OK, Tech, maybe you missed one of my definitions. I was talking about something different, nor usual neither any laptop sort of thing, you know. I can see there’s also something on the left side of the machine, is that a slot or what?
Tech: Yes, you guessed it, it’s a PC Card expansion slot, so users will be able to add any sort of component to the laptop if they need.
Mark: There’s something I miss, here… this is going to be a subnotebook, Tech, a cheap subnotebook actually. Those buying it won’t expect to find and pay for components they don’t actually asked for, you know what I mean. Just move this expansion slot out of there, and take away the firewire ports, the video ports and the two USB ports on the back, too many circuits, it could mean a fortune in production costs for us!
Tech: But… oh well, it’s OK for the expansion slot, Mark, but the firewire ports may be very good to connect an external DVD burner or portable hard disk, or even a videocamera! And the two USBs will be useful if users plug an external keyboard and mice in the other two, and video out ports are perfect for presentation tasks and external monitors, you know, and… and…
Mark (rising his hands): OK, OK, stop whining, please! Let’s keep the VGA, so users will be able to attach an external monitor and also a projector, making the machine ideal for business tasks, too. No way for the firewire ports, though, this isn’t a video editing machine, Tech, and if the other ports are of the USB 2 sort they’re more than suitable for external mass memory devices like hard disks or DVD burners. Am I right? Just leave one more USB and put it on the other side of the machine so it won’t interfere with the other two, then move the VGA port on the right side, near the other two USB ports. And, by the way, you can also put the Ethernet port on the left side as there’ll be just one USB port there, leaving even some space for the modem plug… alas, I’m not so sure a modem would be a good idea, today most of the people out there use wireless networks or just plug an USB or Ethernet cable from a DSL line modem or router.
Tech: It’s funny the way you talk like an engineer, sometimes… I’m astonished to say the least. But what about a multi-slot for flash cards? Don’t you think a lot of users will need or just like to put their digital photos in this machine?
Mark: I’ve just seen how silly those multi-standard-slots are, Tech… do you really think there are so many people using Sony cards, compact flash or MMC things out there? Today most of the cards are just SD, standard, mini or micro, and the latter two have their adapters to mimic the first, right? Just put an SD slot on the right side, there’s still some room near the two USB and the VGA ports. And on the other side there’s room for an audio in-out couple of plugs, of course.
Tech (lowering his eyes with some embarassment): I must admit you’re right again, Mark. Sometimes us techies see frills as needs, it’s sort of a bad habit. But let’s talk about the internal flash disk, won’t you? As you can see by the specs, it’s a great improvement over traditional compact hard disks and offers a damn fast access.
Mark: I see, I see. Clever addition, and very nice move. It’s really fast, actually, and capable enough… (pointing his finger on some cost details, just beneath the tech specs) hey, what the heck this??? How much will this flash thing cost?!!? You must be crazy!!!
Tech: It’s JUST 32 gigs, they should be available at the time of going into final productions, as the guys at SanDisk told us. You know, traditional hard disk in modern laptops offer at least 80 gigs today…
Mark: No, no and NO! Four gigs are enough for the operating system and applications! Move that expensive THING away from the machine design, please!
Tech: But, Windows is going to take a lot of space for memory swapping, and you know how large Microsoft applications like Office can be: when user install them they will soon find there’s no space left on the main disk and they’ll get very, VERY angry with us!
Mark: Tech, we just DON’T NEED Windows. I mean, users don’t need it. We’ve talked about Linus, before, what about it? Isnt’ it smaller and faster and more secure? And what about FREE software?
Tech: That’s LinuX, Mark. Yes, of course, we’re working on a distro called Xandros, based on Debian and sporting a KDE GUI.
Mark: Spare me the technical jargon, will you? And tell me, how much will a Xandros licence cost to us?
Tech: Nothing, not a dime. It’s free, totally free and so are applications like Open Office and others we could fit in that operating system.
Mark: So why are you talking about Windows AND Office, then, for God’s sake?!? And tell me, how much of those four gigs I was talking about will this Xandros and all the software steal, at the end? And would 512 MB of RAM be enough to make that work, by the way?
Tech: Yes, 512 MB of RAM are enough for Xandros and its software, Linux isn’t memory hungry as Windows. And they should leave about half of the 4 gigs disk space available for data, too, but you know… 2 gigs are really too little space for documents and data! And what about music, and movies, and…
Mark (rising his palm to shut him off, with a rather ironic grin on his face): How large is that pendrive you’re wearing around your neck, Tech? How much does it cost? And how much free space there’s in it? And what’s that thing with an apple logo you’re carrying around?
Tech: It’s a 2 gigabyte pendrive, very cheap actually… and that’s an iPod,… why on earth are you asking?Ah, OK, I got the point… yes, but… 4 gigabytes pendrives are still an expensive options for users to add to their shopping list, and 16 gigs are even more expensive.
Mark: There’s an SD slot in there, or is it just my imagination? If they need more room, SD cards are getting cheaper and cheaper, and they won’t even spring out of the machine like pendrives do, am I right?
Tech: You’re damn right, as usual. But what if users ask for Windows?
Mark: If they do, we’ll offer an option for 1 GB RAM and a larger disk but make them pay for it, of course. Even in that case, 8 gigs will be enough, right? And, in the meanwhile, just make that Xandros thing A LOT easier to use than Windows, leaving frills out and presenting the user with something that reminds of an elevator panel, you know what I mean.
Tech: We’re already working on that: users will be able to switch from that interface to a full Linux Desktop with the click of a button…
Mark (interrupting him): No way! Just leave that option hidden, we want to make it available only to geeks like you and your friends down there at the labs, and even then it should require some typing gimmick. Let’s talk about the screen, now, would you?
Tech: Yes, it’s an hi-res 9 inch screen, like those you find on Dialogue FlyBooks, and touch sensitive like those, too…
Mark: You’re just joking, aren’t you? Do you know how MUCH do those luxury toys cost? I bought a pink one for my daughter and I’m still paying the loan! I’ve tried to use it, and God knows how hard is that screen to read and how difficult is controlling the pointer with the touch screen is. A seven inch display will be enough, can we get 800×600 resolution out of it? That’s a standard size even for Web pages, isn’t it?
Tech: It would be a widescreen display, so vertical resolution is limited to 480 pixels, isn’t that too short?
Mark: Never heard about scrolling? I admit horizontal scrolling is a pain in the… well, you know what I mean, let’s just make vertical scrolling easier, and stay with a 7 inch display. And, by the way, find a way to make that horizontal bar at the bottom of the screen disappear with a click, remember: easier than Windows, EASIER!
Tech: OK for the bar thing, we’re always on time to make software changes but… er… on the hardware side we’ve already put into production a larger screen to make room for a 9 inch display… it’s too late…
Mark: No hay problema… never say never. Just put a larger frame around it, moving the speakers on both sides of the screen, instead of placing them on the keyboard, and please put a decent webcam on top of the screen so we’ll make chatters happy.
Tech: Yes, but people will ask for a larger display and more resolution, I’m sure… and you’re equally sure, too, are you?
Mark: As we decided for the Windows thing, let’s make it an option. We don’t want to rise costs during this first production, the machine must be on sale at the cheapest price and beat any competition!
Tech: OK, then. We’ll save those 9 inch screens for the second generation, then. What abot wireless options? I see you’re examining those, at the moment… hey, why are you erasing the Bluetooth option?
Mark: We just said we’re not using Windows by default, didn’t we? And I’ve read somewhere that Linus… Linux, sorry, isn’t that easy to configure when you need, for example, to connect a smartphone vie Bluetooth to a computer. If users will ever need to connect a mobile phone, let’s say to surf the Web, they could use on of the new USB connected phone SIM modems, and keep the real phone for, well, phone calls, of course.
Tech: OK, let’s cancel the BT option, we’ll also save on energy consumption, this way. Mark, talking about the keyboard…
Mark: Yes, it seems OK, maybe a little too small, as the pad underneath is… but this laptop is going to be around the same size of a hardcover book, when folded, so don’t worry about the keyboard and touchpad size, people will get used to them…. as they did with subnotebooks like the expesive FlyBook. Or just buy an external keyboard or mouse, THEY decide.
Tech: By the way, Mark, I’ve personally tested the keyboard and touchpad and I think materials are not that tough, they could break easily, maybe…
Mark (smiling): They won’t, worry not, my young Jedi knight. It’s more or less the same plastic stuff you find on many other laptops, and we offer a warranty as usual, so it won’t take that much to change a damaged keyboard or touchpad button, you know, if it ever happens. So, let me check the production costs again, after we deleted al the unneeded stuff… uhm, we could put this machine out for 399 dollars, it’s a hundred dollars more than the price we hoped to apply at first, but it’s also cheaper than a good smarphone or PDA and A LOT cheaper than the cheapest subnotebook out there. C’mon then, let’s get into production cycle, Tech, we’re going to sell maybe 300.000 units at first…
Tech: Or maybe more… I bet we will be planning some millions units during 2008, Mark, and of course I’m reserving one at first launch, I really want one for XMas.
Mark (with a devilish grin): You’ll have the second unit shipped, Tech. First is MINE, I’ve already placed a reservation with Santa…