Apple may have disappointed us by not releasing a netbook at its press event earlier this week, but rumours suggest that Asus could be set to shake up the market again next year by releasing a touchscreen version of its Eee PC.
Digitimes reports that this could arrive in the first or second quarter of 2009, possibly sporting an 11.6-inch screen. It's being speculated that this will support touchscreen functionality in Windows 7, a new version of Microsoft's operating system that's currently scheduled to arrive early in 2010.
A touchscreen has obvious advantages for the computer musician - imagine being able to move faders and knobs with your fingers rather than clicking and dragging them with your mouse.
However, it remains to be seen whether a small netbook screen would be big enough to be of any practical use, or whether the rumoured touch-friendly Eee PC would deliver sufficient processing grunt to run today's power-hungry music-making apps.
(Via Engadget)