A8Js specs and arrival date confirmed!

OK, I've confirmed the specs of the U.S. Asus A8Js. Sorry to send you to another forum, but since you're all computer trendsetters, I'm sure you'll enjoy it:

http://www.trendsetters.com/showthread.php?p=427#post427

 

Woot-woot!

 

I'm not sure if you actually read this forum, but this is old news.... as in, not only has it been mentioned here, but I'm also taking a stab in that dark that you're the one who made the post over there... I wonder where the information originally came from? hummm...

 

There was no official date until now.
Or so I thought.

 

Apparently you guys are blind then, because there is not "official release date", never is, never will be. Technically the "official releases" aren't until the 2nd or 3rd US shipment, because quantities are so low to start with. But, the only thing official is that yesterday the ETA moved from mid october, to late october. I said the A8js was getting bumped back two weeks, while the W3j was getting bumped up two weeks. IT's still an ETA and yet it's as official as it gets. Because someone with no association with Asus claims it's "official" doesn't change anything. However, the specs, price, and ETA have been known for a while now.

It's been well documented that the only upgrade to the A8j would be the T7200 / upgrade from 512mb 7600 to 7700. With the official news yesterday that all models would be increased to a 2 year warranty and come with a carrying case and a mouse, I said that "other models which are getting higher end upgrades will have their priced raised accordingly".... in the case of the A8js, it's $100.

I'm just saying that Asus doesn't give any information out to anyone but their top teir of dealers. Even then, once it passes through them, the validity is going to be questioned, but the source's reputation can be figured into the mix. So, although their's nothing "official", what was the last bit of confirmed information has been shared with the forum already.

 

Actually, I don't even know what I care. Yes, those specs and price and eta for release are as current as last evening, but nothing actually "new". It doesn't really hurt anyone.... I think I'm becoming a softy.

 

You know, Justin, I'm just trying to be helpful here. This is the second time you've put me down and I don't like it. I got this directly from Asus. Please take in the spirit it was intended.

 

The spirit wasn't taken the wrong way, but as I said... the specs have been confirmed for a while now and the arrival date was confirmed prior and just moved last night because the the model missed that last shipment from Taiwan. I'm just saying that if you want to quote them, it should be put into context because not only is "late october" rather general, the port date is supposed to be 10/24...... that's the "arrival", but what I try to do is explain to these people who are foaming at the mouth at this point that the date to port and date it could be in their hands are very different - very, very different if there is any sort of hold up in customs. So, although your information isn't new, I understand the spirit.

 

Wow, thanks for a link to your own website with previously released information. The quotes you have about battery life and benchmarks are from a third party site. Why didn't you list the original site as a reference?

But on the bright side, atleast you made a dime from ads off this spam.

 

alrox:
Maybe its not the best thing to be confronational when someone is just posting info that was asked for. Just a thought.

 

That best thing would be for me to get off welfare and get a job, but we don't always do what's best.

 

... two things...

1. if it were original information, that would be one thing.
2. since they were the poster on the other forum, a copy and paste wouldn't have been inappropriate.

... but it's not the end of the world.

 

I think what we have here is rampant jealousy. OMG, get a life you guys! Now you know why ordered my first Asus from Sasha and not from you!

 

I appreciate all information including speculation

 

Peace guys, it has arrived and we are shipping it out tomorrow.

 

Are you serious?

 

^Money says he's being sarcastic.

 

Ken, does the A8JS lack bluetooth?...the specs listed on your site don't show it.

 

Katicflis, I don't think Ken's lying...I think he's dead serious. Crap, now what am I suppose to do...It does lack BT (I think).

 

I am not kidding, it's here as schedualed.

No bluetooth.

Edit, just sold out sorry guys.

 

I'm jealous that you took information I provided.... put it on another site... and then came here and linked to that information and thought you were special .... or should I be jealous that you purchased your last computer from someone who sells computers out of his dorm room and has some random distributor build and ship them?

Either way... I'm not jealous, but if it makes you feel better, I'll go along with you - after all, you're the ubercool and don't we all wish we were?

No bluetooth in the A8js... however there is bluetooth on the A8fm. So far only three Merom models have come in, and yes Asus decided to release our backorder today. The only problem is, they're of the W7j / W5fm / A8fm.... The A8js didn't arrive and if it did, those would be coming as well, but Asus certainly said "no, they're not here yet" and that information was good as of close of business pacific time. But more power to anyone who can get them.

Now, just to avoid any confusion, below is the entire spec sheet for the A8js..... everything we know..... it's from the latest spec sheet which was released to us on Monday.

Model: A8JS-4S013P
ETA: end Oct
Retail: $1,599
Part#: 90NKNA513136321L201T
UPC#: 610839497140
CPU: Intel® Core™2 Duo T7200 2GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB
LCD: 14" WXGA(1440x900) LCD Glossy
Chipset: Intel 945PM
Optical Drive: 8X DVD-RW DL
RAM: 1024MB DDR2 667 (1Gx1)
Graphics: NVidia GeForce Go7700 512MB
Hard Drive: 100GB 5400RPM
Wireless: Intel PRO/Set 3945 802.11A/B/G
LAN/Fax: 10/100/1000 Gigabit LAN, FAX modem
Main Battery: Li-Ion 6 Cell
Ports: 5x USB 2.0 / 1x 1394 / 1x IrDA / 1x S-video
Bluetooth: No
Card Reader: MMC, SD, MS, MS PRO
Weight/Dimensions: 5.25lbs/1.37”~1.46”
Warranty: 2 Yr Global with 30days ZBD
Accessories: Carrying Case and Mouse
OS: Windows XP Pro
Camera: 0.3M

 

You are good, man, I just got the confirmed specs and you sold out one shipment already

I have to say the W3J specs really made me dispointed, on the other hand, the A8Js looks so good.

 

what are the specs of the w3j according to you last spec sheet?

 

I was told not to disclose it to public, but I can tell you: CPU is T5500, price is a little bit higher than the current W3J, it is confirmed specs already.

 

that sucks that the w3j only got the t5500 and the a8js got the t7200. I guess its good if you were getting the a8js though .

 

Does anyone know if the A8Js can "take" an internal bluetooth. I'm guessing that if it doesn't ship with one, it may be possible to order the part and add it in, because other models built on the A8 chasis has internal bluetooth.

BTW, does anyone know how it would connect? I know many laptops simply have a "spot" for the bluetooth modual to clip into.

 

I know, I don't know why they put T5500 on it.

 

Yes, the A8 motherboard has a spot for bluetooth and yes it can be installed. Unfortunately, you have to take the system apart and apart to the point that you void your warranty with Asus. So, yes you can do it, but you either have to find a dealer who doesn't care about voiding such a valuable warranty or consider doing it yourself and not leaving a paper trail.

 

Thanks for the head's up about that Justin. I was reading that someone actually took a seperate USB bluetooth adapter and re-soddered the usb connection to work internally and glued the adapter to the inside of the case. That's going a bit far

Well, the good news about no internal BT is that you can get a 2.0+EDR adapter for about $20 off newegg.

 

The W3J has only has a T5500 and ASUS also raised the price? Unless they've upgraded something else that seems to be getting unreasonable. Granted there is an extra year of warranty and some accessories, but the W7J has those too and it only dropped one CPU price point (from the $241 T2400/T5600 to the $209 T5500) with the retail price remaining the same. This implies that the cost of the extra warranty and accessories is about $50. On the other hand, the W3J is dropping from the $294 T2500/T7200 price point to the $209 T5500 price point and the final retail price is also increasing. This implies that ASUS is charging at least $100 for the same benefits that the W7J is getting for less than $50.

 

The price is the same. We're all going off the same information at this point and I'm not sure where they're seeing a change. Outside of the warranty and accessories that are going to be a part of all new ensembles, the only thing changing about the merom W3 is set to be the T5500 --- and the price is set to stay the same.

 

I guess the same price is better than a raised price that Danny suggested. That still means though ASUS is not passing on the savings of dropping 2 speed/price grades on the W3J compared to only 1 speed/price grade on the W7J.

 

Yeppers, the w7j seems more "reasonable" over the w3j. But, the refresh will eventually fix it, right?

 

hey danny (or milestonepc) when are you taking pre-orders for the a8js? I'm waiting for it but I'm not going to buy it outside of canada so yeah do you know when?

 

Well initial specs showed the W3 getting a T5600..... which at least made sense when comparing that to say the W7 which was getting the T5500........ both were supposed to have the same price as the previous models and both part of the new group with the better warranty and accessories, etc....... I and others could understand that (those that could at least stop complaining about not getting a T7200 long enough to think about it).... but the T5500 does raise a weeee question. The cost difference between the two is close to nothing - close enough anyway.... so it has to have been a supply issue......... UNLESS, all the subsequent confirmed specs of the T5500 are just typos?!!?

I don't think it's a big deal, but I'm putting money on one big screw up for a new delivery this quarter....... I can't say it'll be the W3 (for good or bad), but I can say this.... follow me here:

1. The W2 was already screwed up this year and that guy lost his job quick... I see the W2p coming with 110% of what everyone who wanted it could ever dream about.

2. The A8fm, w7jp, and w5fm have all come in and are not only early, but exactly as expected.

3. The A8js is getting a boat load of upgrades.... sorta... a T7200 / the 7700 gpu / XP Pro / WXGA+ screen.... and all that for only $100 more than the A8jm. That sounds a little bit like it's too good to be true... It's ETA goes from next week to the middle of november back to the end of october and back again to next week..... that jumping around isn't good. This looks like the contender for a royal screw up.... so much so that I think the odds are actually going for it. If there was something fishy about this it would have been seen already because it's so obvious that someone would have noticed and checked up on it if were incorrect... but it doesn't mean it's going to be smooth sailing.

4. The R1f and R2h (tablet and umpc) are five months past their original "confirmed production date"..... enough said. Asus can't miss here because they've never put out either of these two decives and supply is going to be so low that they're going to be leaving people wanting more..... so these should easily be as expected and right around the end of the month.

5. That basically leaves the W3.... the most popular model of the last year and half...... and with basically NO changes except for the CPU, the minor detail as mentioned above - like the two level speed drop for the W3 while the W7 got a single speed drop makes us have to wonder. I'm not saying there's really something fishy going on here, but I think it's very possible that if any model is going to surprise us, it very well could be the W3...... When I say surprise, I don't mean the price might be lower than expected and the configuration be higher, but rather - perhaps it gets knocked into December, or it gets a higher cpu and perhaps that also means a higher price tag.......... perhaps there could be something weird like vista vouchers for that model and no other.... Nothing that would totally make sense to us right now, but I think it's more than likely that something will happen that will vary from the information we have today within the next month of deliveries that will "rock us to our core"


.... ok, nothing could be that dramatic, but I hope someone could take that and come to their own conclusions.

 

So basically we'll have to rely on unreliability. Well I'm certainly open to being blown away. Thanks for your evaluation.

 

Well put... I guess. We don't really need to rely on unreliability as much as we need to look into the past and look into the other models. Along, what we currently have on the W3 looks pretty much fine and will sell as is...... I just know there's a surprise somewhere and that's actually something we can usually count on..... so at some point that becomes reliable, doesn't it?

 

Ya well the odds that the a8js has stats different than advertised suspends my belief because that ones already been sold all over the world.

That they dont sell the w3j like that sounds like a likely speculation.

couldnt they have this short shot of w3j t5500s, then next month have a t7200 for 1899?

I mean heres my opinion on that idea, the t5500 idea just isnt going to roll right and the machines arent going to sell. The a8js is going to outsell it, is that the goal? I mean if thats the goal then maybe they will. But the $1800 notebook market doesnt want the budget cpu.

 

Kind of strange that the A8js in Taiwan has a 120GB HD and built in Bluetooth... Usually the NA models are always better...

 

Maybe I didn't express it clearly, I was comparing the my cost list I got for new models with the price I paid recently for the W3J, I said slightly higher, when I buy, it may drop to the same price I paid before.

I am working on it, we actually have Merom W3J and W7J and A8Js on our website already, it will start soon.

Asus told me the original T5600 for W3J was a typo, not the current T5500.

 

Halarious...... so, as soon I say they told me they're not here, I get a shipping confirmation for much more than I expected.

The A8js' did arrive.... along with the other models I did expect.

 

lol, I guess it all ended well.

 

Justin,

Does that mean YOU have them in stock or they arrived in N.A. and you'll be getting them in stock soon. If the latter is the case, when will they be up for sale? Sorry for all the furvor and excitement.

BTW, does anyone know if the A8Js can be worked into a group buy?

 

Well both are sort of impossible. Yes, they hit port and cleared through Asus. We have our backorders from Asus shipping from them today, which means they'll arrive here on Tuesday (We're in Pennsylvania) and at that point we'll have them "in stock"..... So of the other models that we've had advanced orders up for turned over from "advanced orders" to instock, because we only have a very limited amount of units left.

With the A8js, the original stock, without have advacned orders in already is very low...... so we need to get our order page up and give those who have already told us they want a unit first oppurtunity.....

.. But yeah, we're going to have a small shipment of 15-20 for the middle of next week.. Whether any of those are actually availble for sales, we'll have to see, but I have a long list of those who have first dibs on them.

 

Can this really be? A8Js with a reseller next week??? A real A8Js??????? I can't wait!

Thanks for the up-to-the-minute updates, Justin!

 

Stock already down to under a dozen.

 

I got word from 3 resellers it arrives oct 18th.

this is good and bad news to me because i spent my paycheck on car insurance and wont get paid until the 26th.

I want one of these first machines so Im on the net right now possibly putting in a deposit.

 

Good luck with that, out initial order Asus said couldn't be completely fulfilled until the middle of November, which left us with not even a couple dozen for next week and a chance to get some more prior to the end of the month.... but we're told not to expect any new model in larger shipments until closer to the middle of next month.

 

Ok um,

I'm going to offer a deposit. Do you think resellers wont want to do this? Is that the opinion you are giving me? Im going to do this over the next few days.

This is like a difference of about 1 week meaning Im paid after this initial shipment but before this second shipment.

Im going on a lot of what you just posted to make a decision.

 

I ordered mine from gentech. Ken says it will be here on the east coast on the 18th.

No more WIC checks for me =(