Eee PC 900 running OS X

While the Asus Eee PC line only officially supports Linux and Windows, people have been finding ways to load OS X onto the diminutive laptops for ages. But if you care about little things like performance, here’s a tip: You might want to pick up an Eee PC 1000H instead of an Eee PC 901 if you want to run OS X.

MacEee reports that the 901 is just too slow to run the Mac operating system. The problem isn’t with the CPU. The two computers actually have identical processors. Rather, the Eee PC 901’s solid state disk just isn’t fast enough to keep up with the demands OS X places on it. The Eee PC 901 actually has two solid state disks, a 4GB disk for the operating system and a second, larger disk for programs and files. The 4GB disk is pretty zippy, but the secondary disk not so much. And according to MacEee that second drive makes OS X kind of sluggish. OK, that’s an understatement. It reportedly takes 7 minutes to boot OS X on the Eee PC 901.

The solution? Pick up an Eee PC 1000H. It comes with an 80GB hard drive, and happens to be about $50 cheaper than the 901 anyway.

While I would never actually condone installing OS X on unsupported software (which is a violation of Apple’s licensing agreement), you can find a ton of information on how to do it at the Eee PC OS X Project wiki.

Apparently Asus has decided to give its Eee PC computer lineup the collector’s card treatment. The company offers Eee PC models coated in white, black, pink, green, and blue plastic around the world. But now for a limited time only, Korean customers can pick up a pinkish red or green Eee PC with some sort of pattern that looks a bit like spilled paint on the cover. Be the first kid on your block to own one!

The special edition designs will show up on Eee PC 901 and Eee PC 1000H models and should be available on August 22nd in Korea only. And possibly eBay.

[via Engadget]

It looks like Asus may be knocking $100 off the price of the Eee PC 1000H. While Amazon is still taking preorders for $650, Newegg is charging just $550. Newegg is also offering 3 day shipping and says the computer is in stock.

Amazon has started to accept preorders for the Asus Eee PC 901, 1000, and 1000H. Asus has said the computers will begin shipping in the US on July 8th.

Amazon is charging $699 for the Eee PC 1000 with an 40GB SSD, 10.2 inch display, and Linux. You can pick up an Eee PC 1000H for $649 with an 80GB hard drive, 10.2 inch display and Windows XP. Or for $599 you can grab an Eee PC 901 with an 8.9 inch display and Windows XP or Linux. The XP version sports a 12GB SSD, while you can get a 20GB Linux model for the same price.

The new computers come in black and white, and you can place an order or search Amazon using the box below. (Disclosure: If you place an order through the search box, I’ll get a small finder’s fee).

[via Eee PC.net]

Sure, you can already pick up an Eee PC 901, 1000 or 1000H in Taiwan. And the company’s been projecting a July 1st launch date for the UK for a while now. But up until this evening I hadn’t heard any word on a US release.

But a reader contacted me today and let me know that he had called the Asus pre-sales department on a whim today and asked when the Eee PC 901 would be hitting the US. And without hesitating, the rep told him July 8th. I repeated the experiement and made sure to ask about the Eee PC 1000 and I was told that both models would be available in the US on July 8th.

Now, Asus has been known to miss ship dates before, but it’s seriously looking like the company might be able to beat MSI in getting a 10-inch laptop with a 1024 x 600 resolution screen to market in the US.

On the other hand, Asus will be charging $599 or more for these computers, while the MSI Wind laptop will carry a $479 price tag. The Wind also has a larger keyboard and according to Laptop Magazine gets bettery battery life, which means it might be worth the wait. And who knows? Maybe we’ll be surprised and MSI will actually launch the notebook tomorrow.

thanks Cass!

Update: It looks like the MSI Wind release date has been pushed back to July 7th.

Asus is releasing some more details about the upcoming Eee PC 901, Eee PC 1000, and Eee PC 1000H. When the company unveiled the machines at Computex last week, we got a look at the Taiwanese prices, which ranged from the equivalent of $559 to $658 USD. But it looks like it will cost a few bucks more to pick up an Eee PC in the US or UK.

While Asus hasn’t issued a US or European release dates for the 10-inch Eee PC 1000H yet, it looks like you can already pick one up in Taiwan. Fudzilla noticed that PCHome, a Taiwanese shopping portal is selling the computer for NT $18,988, or about $625 USD (€403).

Still confused about the differences between the Eee PC 901, Eee PC 1000 and Eee PC 1000H? Asus has posted a handy little comparison chart showing how the three models stack up against one another. If the image above is hard to read you can check out the original at the Asus news site.

For the most part, the computers are identical except for size, weight, operating system and the amount and type of storage they use. And of course price. But while Asus has released the initial pricing for Taiwan, I’ve learned not to pay too much attention to the Taiwanese prices, as Asus tends to have different prices for its computers in different markets. I’m willing to bet these computers will cost a bit more in Europe than in Taiwan, while the US pricing will be similar or lower to the Taiwanese pricing.