In a recent interview with Asustek chairman Jonney Shih, he explained that the company is not looking into making smartbooks and eBook readers in the near future.
He says that one of the major roadblocks for this technology is the compatibility with most software. Most Asus netbooks can run on a host of different OSes - Linux, Android, Windows and yes even Mac OS if you are committed enough. While not all smartbooks come with in-house operating systems, compatibility with existing programs might become an issue.
He adds that the hurdle for readers will be content and not hardware, which he confesses is easy enough to put together. If the device is launched by a big book retailer like Amazon and Barnes and Noble did, content won't be a problem. But letting people load their own content or mixing content with other partners is a tricky business, especially file sharing.
I'm sure that when the time is right, Asus will get into the game and deliver exciting new products just as they did when they launched the Eee line.
source Digitimes
A post from the Asus Eee PC blog.
Asus is hands-off on smartbooks, eBook readers… for now
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