Asus working on touchscreen Eee PC?

The Eee PC range has been a big success for Asus.
The Eee PC range has been a big success for Asus.

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)

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.