Asus Sold 4.9 Million Eee PC Netbooks Last Year

From PC World: Asustek Computer (Asus) said Thursday that it sold 4.9 million of the devices last year, a figure that rival Acer believes it can best.

Asus, which pioneered the netbook market with its line of Eee PCs, missed its target of 5 million Eee PCs because of a sharp downturn in consumer spending near the end of last year as the world sank into recession, CEO Jerry Shen said during an investors conference on Thursday in Taipei.

Acer, the world's third-largest PC vendor, was Asustek's biggest rival in netbooks last year but has not yet announced 2008 shipments of its popular Aspire One. Acer executives last October reiterated a 6 million unit target.

Acer was a latecomer to the netbook market, launching its Aspire One in the second half of last year. But sales of the device soared due to its simplicity and the company's ability to launch globally, according to analysts.

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