The PC market is not a growth driver these days. So while computer, tablet, and PC component maker Asus has had a good quarter ($204.6 million in profit, up from $169.5 million a year ago), the company is continuing to look at new form factors and price points to drive future growth.
CEO Jerry Shen told the Wall Street Journal that one of these new markets would be small Windows 8 tablets. Microsoft's recent changes to the Windows 8 logo certification requirements have opened the door to 7- and 8-inch Windows tablets, and Shen sees those devices dropping down to $300 and below. Asus already makes a wide variety of Android and Windows tablets, including the Nexus 7 and the VivoTab RT, though its current Windows tablets tend to start somewhere between $400 and $500.
In addition to cheaper Windows tablets, PC World reports that Shen is interested in entering the Chromebook fray, a segment which he feels will continue to gain momentum throughout this year and into next. PC OEMs like Lenovo and HP have already introduced their first Chromebooks this year, and their cost (and build quality) ranges from $199 for Acer's C7 Chromebook all the way up to the $1,449.99 of the LTE-equipped Chromebook Pixel.
"Chromebook is good, not on the consumer side, but it's good in the education and government side, and some for the commercial side," Shen said.
