AST joins ranks of an emerging middle class of notebooks
There has been a major feature injection for notebook computers in the past 18 months that have prompted recognition of a new, middle-class of notebook.
Computer vendors in Hong Kong claim that up until March, they could sell only the very high-end desktop replacement machines or the low-end lightweight machines that were targeted at commuters or people who needed a portable computer but had a tight budget.
They moved some of the middle-range machines but not enough in high-volume.
Companies such as Texas Instruments, AST, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba and Compaq are attempting to meet the buyers in the middle, acknowledging that there are three separate streams of notebooks - performance, standard and slimline. Toshiba, which specialises only in notebook computers in most markets, has perhaps been the most successful. Its Satellite notebook is a basic but well-configured machine that has all the features buyers are after.
HP has distinguished its lightweight and heavyweight streams of notebooks in the OmniBook line. Digital has a high-performance machine with the HiNote Ultra and a budget machine with the HiNote VP (for value plus).
Dell, known for its participation only in the high-margin, fresh products, has its Latitude machines primed to fill the gaps but is not yet participating in the slimline market. AST has two distinct models of its Ascentia range and I've enjoyed a test drive of the Ascentia J in the past few weeks.