TECHNOLOGY : AST Delays but Canon Moves Ahead With Subnotebook Computer Line
AST Research Inc. had promised it would come out with a subnotebook computer this spring. But Safi Qureshey, chief executive of the Irvine computer company, said recently that it looks as though the machine, a portable computer that weighs less than five pounds, will be out in the fall.
AST is waiting for a better idea of what consumers want in a subnotebook, Qureshey said. But that isn’t stopping Canon Computer Systems Inc., which on Monday joined a small group of manufacturers who have already begun to ship subnotebooks.
Canon, a Costa Mesa subsidiary of Tokyo-based Canon Inc., launched a four-pound line of Innova Book 10/10C subnotebooks. Ron Okamoto, director of computer marketing, said the subnotebooks round out Canon’s line of computers for small-business owners and traveling professionals.
The product introductions are the latest example of Canon’s effort to remake its entire product line to keep pace with rapid changes in the computer industry. As part of its sales offensive, Canon also launched several new printers and a line of multimedia desktop computers, or those that can play video and sound as well as graphics.
Street prices on the subnotebooks are expected to range from $1,600 for black-and-white models to $2,100 for color machines. Those prices compare to about $4,000 for the color subnotebook model offered by Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., an Irvine-based rival. Last week, Toshiba cut prices on its line of portables as much as 20%. Canon will also compete against rivals such as Epson America and Compaq Computer Corp.
“People like the idea of smaller and lighter computers,” Okamoto said. “But generally they’re not willing to pay more for it.”
Steve Lair, vice president of marketing for Toshiba America’s computer division, however, said that executives often want the same capabilities in their portable machines as they have in their desktop computers and will therefore pay the higher price for full-featured machines.
