Asustek Chases Convergence in New Padfone 华硕推出Padfone 整合智能手机和平板电脑

By newsdoug on May 31, 2011

It’s the first week of June in Taipei, and that means time for Computex, the annual show featuring the latest in computing gadgets and gizmos from the world’s top PC makers. The show is just kicking off today and will run all of this week, but one intriguing product already on display is Asustek’s (Taipei: 2357) newly unveiled Padfone, which it’s billing as a true convergence product that combines smartphone and tablet PC capabilities. (English article; Chinese article) I haven’t personally seen or had a chance to use this product, but based on the descriptions it sounds like a well designed offering that looks like a tablet PC with a smartphone that can pop out and be carried separately when the user doesn’t Padfone: Asustek's convergence gambit feel like carrying around a bulky tablet. Of course, with a product like this design will be key and only time will tell if consumers like it. I personally like Asustek for its willingness to take risks in new product development, which produced the wildly successful netbook at Computex several years ago. This new product is intriguing because it should appeal to the large number of consumers who want to simplify their lives by not having to carry around so many devices, adapters and so forth. Given Asustek’s record for innovation and the fact that I really think demand exists for this kind of product, I would say the Padfone could stand a strong chance for success, in which case we could see copycats piling into the market by the end of the year.

Bottom line: Asustek’s new Padfone looks like an interesting bet on convergence between tablet PCs and smartphones, and stands a good chance of success if people like its design.

台北国际电脑展（Computex）每年6月上旬举办，世界顶级个人电脑（PC）制造商都在此次展会上展出其新产品。今年的展会於今天开幕，为期一周，华硕<2357.TW>的新产品Padfone现在已经闪亮登场。这款产品整合了智能手机和平板电脑功能。我尚未亲眼见过或用过这款产品，但根据产品描述，它听起来像是一个嵌有智能手机的平板电脑，而当用户不想携带电脑时，可以取出智能手机单独携带。当然，对於这样的产品，设计是关键，只有时间能证明消费者是否喜欢。我个人十分欣赏华硕愿意承担新产品研发风险的做法。几年前，华硕在台北国际电脑展上推出的上网本就曾大获成功。Padfone这款新品很有意思，因为它将吸引许多希望简化生活、不想携带过多电子设备和适配器的消费者。鉴於华硕以往的创新记录，另外我确实认为市场存在对此类产品的需求，我敢说，Padfone取得成功的机率很大。如果是这样，预计年底前就会有大量仿效的同类产品蜂拥进入市场。

一句话：华硕新品Padfone似乎是整合平板电脑和智能手机的有趣尝试，而且如果消费者喜欢其设计，该产品成功机率很大。