Asus and Acer will not launch any new netbooks till Q1 2010

The decision comes in as Intel decides to launch its Pine Trail-M platform in Q1 2010

Acer and Asus delay netbook launches till Q1 2010

Just when the netbook scene was heating up and users were starting to demand these tiny, compact, and portable machines, came a shocking news released by DigiTimes, that Acer and Asus are not going to launch any new netbook models in second half 2009. They have postponed their plans to launch new netbooks till Q1 2010. The reason behind this delay is that Intel has delayed the launch of its new Pine Trail-M platform (which includes Atom N450 processor) until Q1 2010.

Acer has also decided to postpone the launch of its dual operating system (Android and Windows XP) netbook as it feels that the demand for an Android based system is not strong enough. This kind of a netbook was shown at the Computex trade fair held earlier this year and it was expected to arrive in August. Now, the launch has been delayed to a later date which has not been disclosed by the company. It seems as if Acer will push its 10-inch Acer Aspire One netbook for the time-being.

On the other hand, Asus has also decided to delay the launch of its Android based netbook till September. The Asus T101 10-inch convertible touchscreen netbook will also not make an appearance till the formal launch of Windows 7 (due in October).

Both these companies are believed to be focusing on ultra-thin notebooks which utilize Intel’s CULV (consumer ultra low voltage) technology so as to maximize battery life. ASUS are tipped to have 12-inch, 13.3-inch and 15-inch models ready, with 12-inch and 14-inch models following in August, while Acer already sells 13.3-inch, 14.1-inch and 15.6-inch models with further options – including integrated optical drives and discrete graphics – dependent on market demand.