Asus on Apple Mac mini attack

Jonny Evans
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July 30, 2008
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Asus has taken another attempt at Apple, introducing the Windows XP-powered Mac mini alternative, the ASUS Eee Box.

Small, quiet and equipped with an Intel processor, the Eee Box costs just £199 (UK), around $300 (US), and ships later this year (in the UK, at least).

The Eee Box comes with the option to VESA mount on the back of LCD displays, for "the ultimate minimalist space-saving solution".

There's touch sensor buttons and the company has clearly paid a little thought to design, smooth curves and its paperback-thin construction could make this interesting to floating Mac switchers, scared to leave Windows. 

Though the choice of XP says a great deal about the current situation for that OS. And there's a Linux version to follow...

 

Additional detail: Boot time, 8-seconds; "The Eee Box also supports a range of connectivity options including  the latest WiFi 802.11n wireless standard "; operating noise, 26db; apparently green-friendly (company says, "made completely from earth-friendly materials for reduced CO2 emissions; conforming to stringent RoHS and WEEE standards".)

Separate reports claim: 1GB RAM, 80GB storage (other options available, 802.11n as standard, Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor, graphics, Intel GMA 950. 

Ports USB, memory card reader, headphone out, mic in, Gigabit ethernet, DVI out, Line out. 

Comments (9)

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 30, 2008 - 3:17am

...will OS X support the 802.11n hardware and the memory card reader?

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 30, 2008 - 3:54am

seeing how osx is still rocky on the eee laptop i'd assume it would be the same on this. id stick the linux version when that comes out imo.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 30, 2008 - 5:26am

The VESA mount idea is fantastic, but I guess you're still saddled with a drooping display cable and power supply cable...not quite iMac minimalism..but progress I guess..

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 30, 2008 - 5:32am

To be fair to Asus this looks cracking.

Decent spec, looks good and decent price point.

However, il wager a fair amount that you will not be able to pick one of these up for £199.

When the Eee PC was first launched with its price point of £199 no one sold it for that, because they knew consumers would pay more. The cheapest you could pick one up for was about £240.

I suspect this will end up been the same.

Im not saying i would buy one - but there are times when you think you need to run some windows software. A copy of XP would cost me about £60 and then if i wanted to run paralells im shelling out another £30 to £40 so £100 all in all to end up with windows installed on my mac. If i could pick this up for £200 id happily pay the extra £100 to avoid having windows anywhere near the imac.

It will be interesting to see how this develops - but it isnt a mac mini attack - they are aimed at different markets entirely in my view.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 30, 2008 - 7:59am

Guys,

This is an XP box, not a OS-X running device. The price includes XP. The point is to make a device similar to a Mac mini but one that runs XP.

Example: I bought a Mac mini to hook up to my TV because it was: 1) Small, 2) Quiet, 3) Allowed me to use iTunes.

This device does all of the above and would allow me to run NetFlix movies as well (and other DRM formats dependent on Windows Media Player).

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 30, 2008 - 9:30am

I like? The VESA thing is fantastic.

Bryan (not verified) | July 30, 2008 - 12:00pm

Scared to leave Windows? Ha! If Apple's Mac Mini was $300, I would be all over that and recommending it to old people to replace their aging Windows 98 computers.

Jon (not verified) | July 30, 2008 - 7:53pm

>an XP box, not a OS-X running device.

I assume the poster had the same thought I did, which is could OS X be installed on it... as with the EEE laptops.

More info: http://forum.osx86scene.com/index.php

Babay (not verified) | August 03, 2008 - 2:09am

I expect a huge amount of third party (cheap) add-ons, DIY projects and a great community of users for Eee Box mainly because it's not so Apple-ish. Maybe this will actually kill Mac Mini, not the price itself.

More information...
http://www.eeeuser.com
http://www.eeehacks.com