ASUS-A Relative Newcomer to Laptops, but Not to the Computer Business
ASUS was founded in 1990 in Taipei, Taiwan by four men who previously worked as computer engineers for Acer, and named their company for the winged horse, the Pegasus. They chose to use only the last four letters of the name in order to give their name a high position in alphabetical listings.
The company took off quickly, as manufacturers of motherboard components for other computer brands such as Apple, Dell, and Hewlett-Packard, and by November of 2009, 29%of PC's sold in the previous 12 months, worldwide, came with an ASUS motherboard. The company's 2009 revenues reached $21.2 billion dollars in the U.S, making them a formidable opponent, especially with the advent of their own laptop brand.
ASUS began restructuring their operations in 2007, splitting into three operational units in which ASUS was applied solely to first-party branded computers. Pegatron handles OEM manufacturing of motherboards and components, and Unihan focuses on non-PC manufacturing such as cases and molding. As of 2009 ASUS has manufacturing facilities in Taiwan, China, Mexico, and the Czech Republic, with the ASUS Hi-Tech Park located in Suzhou, China, covering the size of 82 soccer fields.
ASUS now claims a monthly production capacity of over two million motherboards and 150,000 notebook computers, and operates 50 service sites in 32 countries. In 2000, ASUS launched Green ASUS, a company-wide sustainable computing initiative, Green Design, Green Procurement, Green Manufacturing, and Green Service and Marketing. Green ASUS restricts 37 hazardous substances and designs all its notebooks to meet Energy Star Standards.
In 2006, ASUS became the first computer manufacturer in Taiwan to develop a re-use and recycle system for their computers and have initiated a take-back program for all ASUS-manufactured products in the USA.
Why Choose an ASUS Laptop?
So that's the history of this relative newcomer to the laptop market, however the question you may be asking is "Why should I buy an ASUS over another brand?" ASUS laptops are tested under the very most punishing conditions-and in the most exotic of locations.
ASUS laptops were selected to provide astronauts dependable computing during a mission on the MIR Space Station where only laptops with the best heat dissipation solutions can survive continuous operation. During the 600 day space mission, ASUS laptops experienced zero defects-quite an endorsement! ASUS notebooks were then chosen to perform critical tasks during the Patagonia 2000 off-road car race, being used in hot deserts and snow-covered mountains-and survived the race without a single flaw. The ASUS laptop was the first to reach the top of Mount Everest-and continue to operate while other notebooks failed to boot up because of the extremely low ambient temperatures. Finally, ASUS laptops journeyed to the summit of Mount Vinson, the tallest peak in Antarctica at 16,000 feet, where the temperatures can drop below -100 degrees. The ASUS laptops worked without a single hitch under these extreme conditions.
If you are in the market for a laptop that can take the heat-and the cold-and offer dependable service in the face of hard use, ASUS is the brand to take a look at. These laptops have been tested under the most extreme situations and came out shining bright. The ASUS brand has long been known for its dependable motherboards, and now their laptops are equally solid and dependable-definitely the new kid on the block to consider.