Asus postpones its smartbook release until next summer and the UK may not see it at all

Asus is delaying the release of its debut smartbook, and may avoid the UK market entirely

We recently reported that Asus' CEO, Jerry Shen had announced the planned launch of a new smartbook in the first quarter of 2010. However, Judy Wu, a 'marketing specialist' at Asus, informed Register Hardware (Reghardware.co.uk) that Asus was delaying the release of the smartbook until the second quarter of 2010; Judy did not cite any reason for this.

According to Reghardware.co.uk, Judy went on to explain that when the smartbook is released, Asus is likely to restrict it to the 'emering markets' and the 'Asia-Pacific region', due to Asus' belief that the UK, for example, isn't as lucrative an opportunity. Perhaps Jerry Shen isn't as confident about the smartbook as he claims to be? Having called the product Asus' 'secret weapon', as quoted in our last article, Jerry may only be confident about the smartbook's success in certain markets.

Asus has still not confirmed any details about the smartbook's specifications, although Jerry has hinted at the importance of competing on factors such as speed and cost. Perhaps Asus will release an innovative smartbook that excels in these areas? We'll update you when we hear more.