Bargain laptops hit the mark

Laptop prices have come down quickly in recent years, but that trend is likely to accelerate even further with the success of a new $499 laptop on the Australian market.

iTWire reports that two shipments of the Asus Eee PC laptop delivered to Australia sold out almost immediately, prompting retailer Myer to stop taking further orders because it doesn’t know when it will be able to meet the future demand.

“We had a lot more interest than anybody anticipated,” one stunned salesperson told iTWire.

The Eee PC weighs just under one kilogram, has a seven-inch screen, WiFi, ethernet, three USB slots, a built-in webcam and what iTWire describes as “a remarkably usable keyboard”.

The cost savings come from the fact that it comes loaded with free Linux open source software such as OpenOffice and relies on flash memory instead of a conventional hard drive.

Given the current interest in putting a laptop in front of every school student in Australia, the Eee PC could be the first of many cheaper, simpler IT products.