Las Vegas: Taiwan's Asustek Computer Inc will begin selling its first tablet model this month for $999 to $1,099, joining a crowded market.
The 12.1-inch "Eee Pad Slate", more expensive than the Apple Inc iPad, has an Intel Corp Core i5 processor for greater computing power and runs on Microsoft Windows 7, Chairman Johnny Shih told reporters on Tuesday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
"If you would like the most professional power, full Windows productivity, full Windows compatibility, this is it," Shih said. "No compromise. It's a PC, but not very PC-(like)."
In April, the company better known for pioneering no-frills netbook computers, plans to debut its cheapest tablet, the "Eee Pad Transformer" powered by Nvidia's Tegra 2 dual-core processor on Google Inc's Android operating system.
The 0.51-inch tablet-laptop hybrid, which will sell for $399 and above, comes with a docking station-keyboard and an estimated 16-hour battery life, Shih said.
The Asian components maker plans two more Eee Pad devices - the MeMO and Sider - that fall between the Slate and the Transformer in terms of computing muscle and price, with one running Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor.
A growing number of Asian and US tech companies hope to take advantage of the popularity of Apple's iPad. The tablets, with their bright LCD touchscreens and longer battery lives, have hurt sales of regular laptop computers.
And investors have responded by piling into shares of key Asian PC and niche component makers as they bet on robust demand for a new generation of devices hoping to emulate the success of Apple's product.
But some analysts warn of a margin-eroding price war as the ranks of new entrants swell.
Asustek, which had gained a reputation for low-cost computers under the Asus brand, in late 2010 began introducing high-end laptops in Japan, a departure for the company as its share of the inexpensive laptop market shrinks.
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