ASUS
Encyclopedia
ASUSTeK Computer Incorporated is a multinational
computer technology and consumer electronics product manufacturer headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Its product range includes motherboard
s, desktop
s, laptop
s, monitors, tablet PC
s, servers
and mobile phone
s. The company also produces components for other manufacturers, including Dell
, Falcon Northwest
, Hewlett-Packard
and Apple Inc..
Sometimes identified by its brand name ASUS (ˈeɪsʉs), the company is listed on both the London Stock Exchange
and the Taiwan Stock Exchange
. , 29.2% of PC
s sold in the previous 12 months worldwide came with an ASUS motherboard. The company's 2009 revenues reached billion.
ASUS appears in BusinessWeek
’s "InfoTech 100" and "Asia’s Top 10 IT Companies" rankings. Wall Street Journal Asia ranks it number one in quality and service, and it leads the IT
Hardware category of the 2008 Taiwan Top 10 Global Brands survey with a total brand value of US$1.324 billion.
, Taiwan
– all four founders worked as computer engineers for Acer. The company explains the name ASUS as originating from Pegasus
, the winged horse of Greek mythology.
The new organization used only the last four letters of the word in order to give the resulting name a high position in alphabetical listings.
In 2008, shipments from ASUS, Elitegroup Computer Systems
(ECS), Gigabyte Technology
, and Micro-Star International
(MSI) totaled 104.86 million devices. ASUS led with 52 million units, followed by ECS with 20 million, MSI with 18 million, and Gigabyte with 16.6 million.
. Intel Corporation
would supply any new processors to more established companies like IBM
first, and the Taiwanese companies would have to wait for approximately six months after IBM received their engineering prototype
s. , ASUS receives Intel engineering samples ahead of its competitors.
ASUS has become one of the main supporters of Intel's Common Building Block
initiatives.
and the Unihan Corporation.
The ASUS brand was applied solely to first-party branded computers. Pegatron
handled OEM manufacturing of motherboards and components, and the Unihan Corporation focused on non-PC manufacturing such as cases and molding. In January 2008, Pegatron
acquired the Unihan Corporation as a subsidiary from Asus.
In the process of restructuring, the highly criticized pension-plan restructuring effectively zeroed out the existing pension balances. The company paid out all contributions previously made by employees.
announced that ASUSTek Computer Inc. had become one of 14 new members of the organization. These "new members will either deploy compatible Android devices, contribute significant code to the Android Open Source Project, or support the ecosystem through products and services that will accelerate the availability of Android-based devices."
(Taipei
, Lujhu
, Nangan, Guishan), China
(Suzhou
), Mexico (Ciudad Juárez
) and the Czech Republic (Ostrava
). The ASUS Hi-Tech Park, located in Suzhou, China, covers 540,000 square meters, roughly the size of 82 soccer fields.
ASUS claims a monthly production capacity of two million motherboards and 150,000 notebook computers.
ASUS operates 50 service sites in 32 countries and has over 400 service partners worldwide. It provides support in 37 languages.
s, graphics cards, sound cards, optical disc drives, personal digital assistant
s (PDAs), computer monitors, laptop
s, servers
, computer networking device
s, mobile phone
s, computer case
s, computer components
, and computer cooling
systems. And it has also motion sensing technology in their ASUS Wavi bringing motion recognizing to PC.
netbook
has garnered numerous awards, including Forbes
Asia’s Product of the Year, Stuff Magazine’s Gadget of the Year and Computer of the Year, NBC.com’s Best Travel Gadget, Computer Shopper's Best Netbook of 2008, PC Pro's Hardware of the Year, PC World's Best Netbook, and DIME magazine’s 2008 Trend Award Winner. ASUS's Essentio desktop – marketed as a home entertainment PC with an HDMI port, remote control and high gloss black finish – has been discontinued.
ASUS subsequently added several products to its Eee lineup, including:
On 6 March 2009, ASUS debuted its Eee Box B202, which PCMag
saw as "the desktop equivalent of the ASUS EeePC", (the "ASUS Eee Box" computer line is later in 2010 renamed to "ASUS EeeBox PC").
With its price range between US$269 and US$299, this desktop competed directly with the Mac Mini
.
.
In 2007, Oekom Research, an independent research institute specializing in corporate responsibility assessment, recognized ASUS as a "highly environmental friendly company" in the "Computers, Peripherals and Office Electronics Industry".
In October 2008, ASUS received 11 Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) Gold Awards for its products, including four of its N-Series notebooks, namely the N10, N20, N50 and N80. In the following month, it received EU Flower certification for the same N-Series notebooks at an award ceremony held in Prague. In December 2008, Det Norske Veritas
conferred the world’s first EuP (Energy-using Product) certification for portable notebooks on these machines.
program in collaboration with Intel and with Tsann Kuen Enterprise Co. This program collected more than 1,200 desktop computers, notebooks and CRT/LCD monitors, refurbished them and donated them to 122 elementary and junior high schools, five aboriginal communities and the Tzu Chi
Stem Cell Center.
discovered through a reader that ASUS had shipped laptops that contained cracked and pirated software. Both physical machines and recovery CDs contained confidential documents from Microsoft
and other organizations, internal ASUS documents, and sensitive personal information including CVs.
At the time, an ASUS spokesperson promised an investigation at "quite a high level", but declined to comment on how the files got on the machines and recovery media. It was demonstrated that an unattended installation of Windows Vista could accidentally copy material from a flash drive with a parameter in the "unattend.xml" file on the personal flash drive being used to script the installation.
Multinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
computer technology and consumer electronics product manufacturer headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Its product range includes motherboard
Motherboard
In personal computers, a motherboard is the central printed circuit board in many modern computers and holds many of the crucial components of the system, providing connectors for other peripherals. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or, on Apple...
s, desktop
Desktop computer
A desktop computer is a personal computer in a form intended for regular use at a single location, as opposed to a mobile laptop or portable computer. Early desktop computers are designed to lay flat on the desk, while modern towers stand upright...
s, laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
s, monitors, tablet PC
Tablet computer
A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...
s, servers
Server (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
and mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s. The company also produces components for other manufacturers, including Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
, Falcon Northwest
Falcon Northwest
Falcon Northwest is a personal computer manufacturing company located in Medford, Oregon, USA which was founded in 1992 by its current president, Kelt Reeves. The company began its existence focusing on high-end systems for Flight Simulation...
, Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
and Apple Inc..
Sometimes identified by its brand name ASUS (ˈeɪsʉs), the company is listed on both the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
and the Taiwan Stock Exchange
Taiwan Stock Exchange
The Taiwan Stock Exchange Corporation is a financial institution, located in Taipei 101, in Taipei, Taiwan. The TSEC was established in 1961 and began operating as a stock exchange on 9 February 1962...
. , 29.2% of PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
s sold in the previous 12 months worldwide came with an ASUS motherboard. The company's 2009 revenues reached billion.
ASUS appears in BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
’s "InfoTech 100" and "Asia’s Top 10 IT Companies" rankings. Wall Street Journal Asia ranks it number one in quality and service, and it leads the IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
Hardware category of the 2008 Taiwan Top 10 Global Brands survey with a total brand value of US$1.324 billion.
History
TH Tung, Ted Hsu, Wayne Hsieh, and MT Liao founded ASUS on 2 April 1990 in TaipeiTaipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
– all four founders worked as computer engineers for Acer. The company explains the name ASUS as originating from Pegasus
Pegasus
Pegasus is one of the best known fantastical as well as mythological creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing...
, the winged horse of Greek mythology.
The new organization used only the last four letters of the word in order to give the resulting name a high position in alphabetical listings.
In 2008, shipments from ASUS, Elitegroup Computer Systems
Elitegroup Computer Systems
Elitegroup Computer Systems Co., Ltd , is a Taiwan-based electronics firm. It is the fifth largest PC motherboard manufacturer in the world , with production reaching 24 million units in 2002...
(ECS), Gigabyte Technology
Gigabyte Technology
Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. is a Taiwan-based manufacturer of computer hardware products best known for its motherboards. The company is publicly held and traded on the Taiwan Stock Exchange .-Company:...
, and Micro-Star International
Micro-Star International
Micro-Star International Co., Ltd is a Taiwan-based electronics company and one of the world's largest motherboard and video card manufacturers.-Overview:MSI is one of the top three motherboard and video card manufacturers worldwide...
(MSI) totaled 104.86 million devices. ASUS led with 52 million units, followed by ECS with 20 million, MSI with 18 million, and Gigabyte with 16.6 million.
Relationship with Intel
In the early 2000s, Taiwan-based motherboard manufacturers had not yet established their leading positions in the computer-hardware businessBusiness
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
. Intel Corporation
Intel Corporation
Intel Corporation is an American multinational semiconductor chip maker corporation headquartered in Santa Clara, California, United States and the world's largest semiconductor chip maker, based on revenue. It is the inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in most...
would supply any new processors to more established companies like IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
first, and the Taiwanese companies would have to wait for approximately six months after IBM received their engineering prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
s. , ASUS receives Intel engineering samples ahead of its competitors.
ASUS has become one of the main supporters of Intel's Common Building Block
Common Building Block
Common Building Block is a set of technical standards for laptop components introduced by Intel in 2005, and adopted by some manufacturers.-Creation:...
initiatives.
Corporate restructuring, 2007–
In January 2007, ASUS started restructuring its operations. The company split into three distinct operational units: ASUS, PegatronPegatron
Pegatron Corporation is a Taiwan-based DMS Original Equipment Manufacturer company that develops mainly computing, communications and consumer electronics to branded vendors, but also engages in the development, design and manufacturing of computer peripherals and components...
and the Unihan Corporation.
The ASUS brand was applied solely to first-party branded computers. Pegatron
Pegatron
Pegatron Corporation is a Taiwan-based DMS Original Equipment Manufacturer company that develops mainly computing, communications and consumer electronics to branded vendors, but also engages in the development, design and manufacturing of computer peripherals and components...
handled OEM manufacturing of motherboards and components, and the Unihan Corporation focused on non-PC manufacturing such as cases and molding. In January 2008, Pegatron
Pegatron
Pegatron Corporation is a Taiwan-based DMS Original Equipment Manufacturer company that develops mainly computing, communications and consumer electronics to branded vendors, but also engages in the development, design and manufacturing of computer peripherals and components...
acquired the Unihan Corporation as a subsidiary from Asus.
In the process of restructuring, the highly criticized pension-plan restructuring effectively zeroed out the existing pension balances. The company paid out all contributions previously made by employees.
Open Handset Alliance
On 9 December 2008, the Open Handset AllianceOpen Handset Alliance
The Open Handset Alliance is a consortium of 84 firms to develop open standards for mobile devices. Member firms include Google, HTC, Sony, Dell, Intel, Motorola, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, T-Mobile, Nvidia, and Wind River Systems.-History:The OHA was...
announced that ASUSTek Computer Inc. had become one of 14 new members of the organization. These "new members will either deploy compatible Android devices, contribute significant code to the Android Open Source Project, or support the ecosystem through products and services that will accelerate the availability of Android-based devices."
Timeline
- September 2005: releases the first PhysXPhysXPhysX is a proprietary realtime physics engine middleware SDK developed by Ageia with the purchase of ETH Zurich spin-off NovodeX in 2004...
accelerator card. - December 2005: enters the LCD TV market with the TLW32001 model, initially only available in the Taiwan market.
- January 2006: ASUS announces that it will cooperate with LamborghiniLamborghiniAutomobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini , is an Italian car manufacturer. The company was founded by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963, with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to compete with established offerings from marques like...
to develop its VX series. - 9 March 2006: ASUS announced as one of the producers of the first Microsoft OrigamiUltra-Mobile PCAn ultra-mobile PC is a small form factor version of a pen computer, a class of laptop whose specifications were launched by Microsoft and Intel in spring 2006. Sony had already made a first attempt in this direction in 2004 with its Vaio U series, which was however only sold in Asia...
models, together with SamsungSamsung GroupThe Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
and Founder TechnologyFounder TechnologyFounder Technology Group Corporation , a subsidiary of Founder Group from Peking University, is an information technology state-owned enterprise in Shanghai, China...
. - 8 August 2006: ASUS announces a joint venture with Gigabyte TechnologyGigabyte TechnologyGigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. is a Taiwan-based manufacturer of computer hardware products best known for its motherboards. The company is publicly held and traded on the Taiwan Stock Exchange .-Company:...
. - 5 June 2007: ASUS announces the Eee PCASUS Eee PCThe Asus Eee PC is a subnotebook/netbook computer line from ASUSTeK Computer Incorporated, and a part of the Asus Eee product family. At the time of its introduction in late 2007, it was noted for its combination of a light weight, Linux operating system, solid-state drive , and relatively low cost...
at COMPUTEX TaipeiComputex TaipeiCOMPUTEX Taipei, or Taipei International Information Technology Show , is a computer expo held annually in Taipei, Taiwan. Since the early 2000s, it has become one of the largest computer and technology fairs in the world.-Development:...
2007 - 9 September 2007: ASUS indicates support for Blu-rayBlu-ray DiscBlu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
, announcing the release of a BD-ROM/DVD writer PC drive, BC-1205PT. The release of several Blu-ray based notebooks follows. - 31 October 2007: ASUS launches a PDA/smartphone range in the UK market
- 3 January 2008: ASUS formally splits into three companies: ASUSTeK, PegatronPegatronPegatron Corporation is a Taiwan-based DMS Original Equipment Manufacturer company that develops mainly computing, communications and consumer electronics to branded vendors, but also engages in the development, design and manufacturing of computer peripherals and components...
and Unihan. - May 2008: Incompatibility of ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe motherboard with Windows XP SP3 first discovered
- 22 August 2008: Details of the N10 leaked online.
- December 2008: ASUS releases a beta BIOS update that potentially fixes the Windows XP SP3 incompatibility with the ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe motherboard.
- 1 June 2010: ASUS spins off PegatronPegatronPegatron Corporation is a Taiwan-based DMS Original Equipment Manufacturer company that develops mainly computing, communications and consumer electronics to branded vendors, but also engages in the development, design and manufacturing of computer peripherals and components...
Corp. - December 2010: ASUS has the world's thinnest notebook ASUS U36 with Intel processor voltage standard (not low voltage) Intel core i3 or i5 with thickness is 19 mm only.
- October 2011: Asus designed UX/21E/31E ZENBOOK™, it uses a precision-crafted design measuring only 3mm at the front and 9mm at the rear. The form features razor thin edges
- asus chairman Jonney Shih claimed these ultra thin (under 3 mm at its slimmest edge) laptops will last more than seven hours.
Manufacturing facilities and service centers
ASUS has manufacturing facilities in TaiwanRepublic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
(Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Lujhu
Lujhu, Taoyuan
Lujhu Township is a rural township in northwestern Taoyuan County in Taiwan.Lujhu is located at kilometer 49 of the Highway no. 1 , close to the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport...
, Nangan, Guishan), China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
(Suzhou
Suzhou
Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
), Mexico (Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
) and the Czech Republic (Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
). The ASUS Hi-Tech Park, located in Suzhou, China, covers 540,000 square meters, roughly the size of 82 soccer fields.
ASUS claims a monthly production capacity of two million motherboards and 150,000 notebook computers.
ASUS operates 50 service sites in 32 countries and has over 400 service partners worldwide. It provides support in 37 languages.
Products
ASUS produces motherboardMotherboard
In personal computers, a motherboard is the central printed circuit board in many modern computers and holds many of the crucial components of the system, providing connectors for other peripherals. The motherboard is sometimes alternatively known as the mainboard, system board, or, on Apple...
s, graphics cards, sound cards, optical disc drives, personal digital assistant
Personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
s (PDAs), computer monitors, laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
s, servers
Server (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
, computer networking device
Computer networking device
'Computer networking devices are units that mediate data in a computer network. Computer networking devices are also called network equipment, Intermediate Systems or InterWorking Unit...
s, mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s, computer case
Computer case
A computer case is the enclosure that contains most of the components of a computer...
s, computer components
Electronic component
An electronic component is a basic electronic element and may be available in a discrete form having two or more electrical terminals . These are intended to be connected together, usually by soldering to a printed circuit board, in order to create an electronic circuit with a particular function...
, and computer cooling
Computer cooling
Computer cooling is required to remove the waste heat produced by computer components, to keep components within their safe operating temperature limits.Various cooling methods help to improve processor performance or reduce the noise of cooling fans....
systems. And it has also motion sensing technology in their ASUS Wavi bringing motion recognizing to PC.
Eee
Since its launch in October 2007, the Eee PCASUS Eee PC
The Asus Eee PC is a subnotebook/netbook computer line from ASUSTeK Computer Incorporated, and a part of the Asus Eee product family. At the time of its introduction in late 2007, it was noted for its combination of a light weight, Linux operating system, solid-state drive , and relatively low cost...
netbook
Netbook
Netbooks are a category of small, lightweight, legacy-free, and inexpensive laptop computers.At their inception in late 2007 as smaller notebooks optimized for low weight and low cost — netbooks omitted certain features , featured smaller screens and keyboards, and offered reduced computing...
has garnered numerous awards, including Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
Asia’s Product of the Year, Stuff Magazine’s Gadget of the Year and Computer of the Year, NBC.com’s Best Travel Gadget, Computer Shopper's Best Netbook of 2008, PC Pro's Hardware of the Year, PC World's Best Netbook, and DIME magazine’s 2008 Trend Award Winner. ASUS's Essentio desktop – marketed as a home entertainment PC with an HDMI port, remote control and high gloss black finish – has been discontinued.
ASUS subsequently added several products to its Eee lineup, including:
- EeeBox PC, a compact nettopNettopNettop may refer to:*Nettop, a type of computer*NetTop, a NSA project...
- Eee TopAsus EEE TopThe ASUS Eee Top is a touch screen all-in-one desktop computer designed by ASUS and released in November 2008...
, an all-in-one touchscreen computer housed in an LCD monitor enclosure, - Eee StickASUS Eee StickThe Eee Stick is an accessory that is expected to be bundled with specific models of the Eee PC and Eee Box. These specific models will also come with games that will take advantage of the features of this hardware. This accessory is very similar to Nintendo's Nunchuk attachment...
, a plug-and-play wireless controller for the PC platform that translates users’ physical hand-motions into corresponding movements onscreen - ASUS Eee Pad TransformerASUS Eee Pad TransformerThe ASUS Eee Pad Transformer is an Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet computer announced at CES 2011 and launched on March 30, 2011. The Transformer design includes an optional docking keyboard.- Features :...
, is a tablet computer that runs on the Android 3.0 operating systems
On 6 March 2009, ASUS debuted its Eee Box B202, which PCMag
PC Magazine
PC Magazine is a computer magazine published by Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009...
saw as "the desktop equivalent of the ASUS EeePC", (the "ASUS Eee Box" computer line is later in 2010 renamed to "ASUS EeeBox PC").
With its price range between US$269 and US$299, this desktop competed directly with the Mac Mini
Mac Mini
The Mac Mini is a small form factor desktop computer manufactured by Apple Inc. Like earlier mini-ITX PC designs, it is uncommonly small for a desktop computer: 7.7 inches square and 1.4 inches tall. It weighs 2.7 pounds...
.
Republic of Gamers
Republic of Gamers is an Asus brand formed in 2006 "with the purpose of delivering the most innovative hardcore hardware for truly dedicated gamers."Sound Cards
Asus started its line of sound cards by releasing the Xonar DX on February 28th 2008, a card that promised great audio quality. But this card's main attraction was its ability to emulate the EAX 5.0 effects through the Asus GX software while also supporting Open AL and DTS-connect. This offered an alternative to Creative's sound cards which were characterized with poor driver support under Windows Vista. . Asus followed-up with the introduction of its Xonar D1 on the 27th of July 2008 which offered largely similar features to the Xonar DX but connected to the motherboard through the PCI interface instead of the PCI-E x1 connection on the Xonar DX . Asus then released the Xonar HDAV 1.3, which was the first solution enabling loss-less HD audio bit streaming to AV receivers.. After that, Asus used the same audio processor to produce its Xonar DS sound card, which was released on the 13th of May, 2009. This card had 107db SNR rating which is slightly less than what the Xonar DX and the Xonar D1 had to offer but, it featured an upgradeable Operational Amplifier (OP-AMP) in addition to the common features of the Xonar line.. Asus then targeted high-end audiophiles with the introduction of its Essence ST sound card on the 15th of May, 2009. This card featured 124db SNR rating and precision audio clock tuning. Three days later, Asus refreshed the HDAV family by releasing the HDAV 1.3 slim, a card targeted for HTPC users offering very similar functionality to HDAV 1.3 but in a smaller form . During Computex 2010, Asus introduced its Xonar Xense which was an audio bundle composed of the Xense sound card and a special edition of the Sennheiser PC350 headset . In August 2010, Asus released the Xonar DG sound card to target budget buyers. The card offered 5.1 surround sound support, 105db SNR rating, support for Dolby headphone and GX 2.5 support for emulating EAX 5.0 technology.Green ASUS
In 2000, ASUS officially launched Green ASUS, a company-wide sustainable computing initiative overseen by a steering committee led by Jonney Shih, the Chairman of ASUSTek Computer Inc. Green ASUS pursues what the company calls the "Four Green Home Runs", namely: "Green Design, Green Procurement, Green Manufacturing, and Green Service and Marketing".Measures
Green ASUS restricts 37 hazardous substances, 31 more than the 6 stipulated by the European Union RoHSRestriction of Hazardous Substances Directive
The Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment 2002/95/EC was adopted in February 2003 by the European Union. The RoHS directive took effect on 1 July 2006, and is required to be enforced and become law in each member state...
.
- ASUS designs its notebooks to meet Energy StarEnergy StarEnergy Star is an international standard for energy efficient consumer products originated in the United States of America. It was first created as a United States government program during the early 1990s, but Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan and the European Union have also adopted...
standards. over 50 ASUS notebooks have Energy Star certification. - In 2006, ASUS became the first computer maker in Taiwan to develop an easy-to-reuse and easy-to-recycle end-of-life "green design" system.
- In September 2006, ASUS initiated a free take-backProduct stewardshipProduct stewardship is a concept whereby environmental protection centers around the product itself, and everyone involved in the lifespan of the product is called upon to take up responsibility to reduce its environmental impact. For manufacturers, this includes planning for, and if necessary,...
program for all ASUS-made products in the USA. - In 2005, ASUS launched Taiwan’s first GPMS (Green Product Management System) information-technology platform.
Recognition
In 2006, ASUS obtained IECQ (IEC Quality Assessment System for Electronic Components) HSPM (Hazardous Substance Process Management) certification for its headquarters and for all of its manufacturing sites.In 2007, Oekom Research, an independent research institute specializing in corporate responsibility assessment, recognized ASUS as a "highly environmental friendly company" in the "Computers, Peripherals and Office Electronics Industry".
In October 2008, ASUS received 11 Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) Gold Awards for its products, including four of its N-Series notebooks, namely the N10, N20, N50 and N80. In the following month, it received EU Flower certification for the same N-Series notebooks at an award ceremony held in Prague. In December 2008, Det Norske Veritas
Det Norske Veritas
Stiftelsen Det Norske Veritas is a classification society organized as a foundation, with the objective of "Safeguarding life, property, and the environment". The organization's history goes back to 1864, when the foundation was established in Norway to inspect and evaluate the technical condition...
conferred the world’s first EuP (Energy-using Product) certification for portable notebooks on these machines.
Recycling campaign
In April 2008, ASUS launched its "PC Recycling for a Brighter Future"program in collaboration with Intel and with Tsann Kuen Enterprise Co. This program collected more than 1,200 desktop computers, notebooks and CRT/LCD monitors, refurbished them and donated them to 122 elementary and junior high schools, five aboriginal communities and the Tzu Chi
Tzu Chi
The Tzu Chi Foundation, whose name means "compassionate relief," is an international humanitarian organization and the largest non-governmental organization in the Chinese-speaking world....
Stem Cell Center.
Pirated software and dissemination of confidential data
In September 2008, PC ProPC Pro
PC Pro is one of several computer magazines published monthly in the United Kingdom by Dennis Publishing. PC Pro also licenses individual articles for republication in various countries around the world - and some articles are translated into local languages...
discovered through a reader that ASUS had shipped laptops that contained cracked and pirated software. Both physical machines and recovery CDs contained confidential documents from Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
and other organizations, internal ASUS documents, and sensitive personal information including CVs.
At the time, an ASUS spokesperson promised an investigation at "quite a high level", but declined to comment on how the files got on the machines and recovery media. It was demonstrated that an unattended installation of Windows Vista could accidentally copy material from a flash drive with a parameter in the "unattend.xml" file on the personal flash drive being used to script the installation.
See also
- List of companies of Taiwan
- ASUS Eee Pad
- ASUS Eee PCASUS Eee PCThe Asus Eee PC is a subnotebook/netbook computer line from ASUSTeK Computer Incorporated, and a part of the Asus Eee product family. At the time of its introduction in late 2007, it was noted for its combination of a light weight, Linux operating system, solid-state drive , and relatively low cost...
- ASUS Media BusAsus Media BusThe Asus Media Bus is a proprietary computer bus developed by Asus, which was used on some Socket 7 motherboards in the middle 1990s. It is a combined PCI and ISA slot. Expansion cards supporting this interface were only manufactured by Asus for a very limited time...
- ASUS routersAsus routersASUSTeK Computer Incorporated manufactures a series of network routers directly competing with Linksys routers from Cisco.The Asus series of routers usually ship with Broadcom chipsets, relatively faster processors and more memory, removable antennas, and USB ports for expansion...
- ASUS Eee KeyboardASUS Eee KeyboardAsus Eee Keyboard is a computer built in to a full-size keyboard, in the Asus Eee PC series. Some models have a touchscreen in place of a conventional keypad. ASUS had planned to start shipping the device in October 2009, but postponed the launch until May 2010...
- BiostarBiostarBiostar or Biostar Microtech International Corp, is a motherboard manufacturer based in Taiwan, designing and manufacturing of computer hardware products such as motherboards, video cards, barebone computers and industrial PCs, to meet the demands of market development by providing more integrated...
- Elitegroup Computer SystemsElitegroup Computer SystemsElitegroup Computer Systems Co., Ltd , is a Taiwan-based electronics firm. It is the fifth largest PC motherboard manufacturer in the world , with production reaching 24 million units in 2002...
(ECS) - Gigabyte TechnologyGigabyte TechnologyGigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. is a Taiwan-based manufacturer of computer hardware products best known for its motherboards. The company is publicly held and traded on the Taiwan Stock Exchange .-Company:...
- Micro-Star InternationalMicro-Star InternationalMicro-Star International Co., Ltd is a Taiwan-based electronics company and one of the world's largest motherboard and video card manufacturers.-Overview:MSI is one of the top three motherboard and video card manufacturers worldwide...
(MSI)