Who knows which rumor is true, but according to Engadget, the next generation Asus Eee PC will not boast touch. My money is on touch appearing somewhere in the Eee product line nonetheless. Call me a touchy-feely optimist.
Digitimes has more on this breaking news. Sure enough it also reports, that none other than AsusTek president Jerry Shen, has indicated that touch is being put on hold:
"Shen also pointed out the company's market research has determined that touch screen is not a highly demanded feature for Eee PC customers, and therefore it will suspend plans to include the option of a touch screen panel in the next generation of Eee PCs"
I'd add that the right kind of touch can make all the difference. In particular, Asus needs to go take a look at their friends over at Toshiba to see what touch they've included in their UMPC-like device. It packs many of the same gestures popularized by the iPhone, such as pinch and rotate. I'd expect these features to filter over to the Eee world too.
I'm guessing that cost is a concern, but think about it, let's say 4 million or so Eee's get touch--the cost is sure to go down. That's the kind of thinking that Apple has pursued quite well with its flash memory and now touch capabilities.
Then again, I can understand Asus being cautious here. They're probably just testing the waters with their toes.
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