ASUS teases with photo of iMac-like Eee PC

ASUS today has provided PC World and other guests at a company-run seminar their first glimpse of its Eee Monitor all-in-one PC and confirms an iMac-like design that should cost less than half the price of its Apple-made rival. Resembling a cross between a white third-generation iMac and Apple's easel-like Cinema Displays, the system is already being marketed as a fashion item that fits into an interior decor; all its expansion ports are tucked to the back to avoid cluttering the front.

Specifications haven't been discussed, though the company has previously said that the system will be based on Intel's Atom platform (then called Shelton), which is already in use by the Eee PC 901/1000 and the Eee Box to drive down power use and cost. The system is also known to use either a 19- or 21-inch LCD and is shown in a new image with a built-in webcam.

ASUS plans to launch the system in September and is still anticipated to use its custom version of Xandros Linux to drive down the price; an earlier cost estimate puts the Eee Monitor's launch price at $500, or well under the $1,200 price of an iMac and less still than the Windows-based, $1,300 Gateway One and the $1,500 Dell XPS One.

A 42-inch Eee TV should add basic computing functions to an LCD HDTV and will also become available in September, with pricing reportedly just $200 above the price of a stand-alone TV set.