It’s no secret that Asus wants to get its 8.9-inch lappie to market as quickly as possible and we’re now hearing that the Eee PC 900 will be available in the US on May 12 for $550, according to Wired, which is $50 higher than earlier reports. In order for Asus to get it here by then, it had to forgo using Intel’s new made-for-tiny-laptops Atom processor. But PC World is reporting that an Atom-based version of the Eee PC will be available in June, not long after the release of the non-Atom 900.
Details about the Eee model coming in June are scarce except that Asus’ CEO says that it’ll be “the second wave of the Eee PC,” according to PC World. And the Atom is supposed to be an inexpensive yet power-friendly chip, so you might just want to hold off on that Eee PC 900 purchase. Hopefully we’ll have more details about the Atom-based Eee PC before the 900 gets released so that people can make an informed decision about whether or not to spend $550 in May or hold off until June.