ASUS to Split in Two?

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/other/display/20061017052421.html

There seems to be reports that ASUS is planning to split into a contract manufacturing company and a separate brand name company. It probably doesn't effect things right now, but I would think that having the ASUS brand as a separate entity would allow them to dedicate more resources into expanding their notebook business for instance.

 

They already have other divisions though, such as ASRock, but such a move can go either way.

 

Does seem to appear that way. Although this does cause channel conflict. It can be hard for an OEM company to sell direct without offending or competing with its OEM customers. Intel has considered offering PC's but there would be an uproar from its PC vendors.

I wonder if this has any relationship to Asus losing some Apple business.

 

This move is about a year old. I was under the impression that it was completed in the late spring. The move doesn't affect us in the least...... It affects Sony and Apple in a HUGE way though. Basically, I only know of a few accounts, but one of the biggest involved Asus not making 13.3" notebooks. Now we all know we got the W7j in the summer - so that's no longer a problem and I was to assume this was already taken care of. Supposedly, Sony basically told them that was their market and with the S series they had - they basically owned the 13.3" market..... if you wanted that size, there wasn't many placed to go. It's happened with other models and with other companies. Basically, Asus said if they split in two, those OEM's can't say anything.... Sure, they can say stuff, but legally they will be dealing with Asus the ODM and Asus the branded OEM if you will, would be off doing whatever the hell they wanted. As it was, Sony and Apple had contracts that basically had "no compete" clauses in them.

No one complained when we were only selling a couple hundred units a month, but once they got up to a couple thousand a month they started to worry. Sony had influence on Asus bringing 13.3" notebooks, LCD monitors and cell phones........ Apple has influence on some notebooks and some other things that Asus makes for them that Asus wants to release their own version of *cough* ipod *cough*... I think it was Dlink that they made some wireless stuff for which restricted the features and size wireless models they could bring over...

So, Asus just said screw it..... but found a way not to screw themselves at the same time... Should not have any affect on anything except to help broaden the product lines.