The (Non) Issue About Un-upgradeable RAM

The past few days several new photos of Asus Eee PCs have been uploaded all over the Net. In some of these, the unit clearly shows soldered RAM chips, implying a casual DIY memory upgrade would be out of the question. Yet other forum posters insist the test unit they have has memory upgrade capabilities. Given that the entry model will only have 256MB RAM and 2G flash memory, the uncertainty naturally has caused a lot of prospective buyers apprehension regarding being able to use the Asus Eee PC for their intended purposes.

Personally I think whether the memory ends up being upgradeable or not is a non-issue (for Asus and most users). First of all, most of the posters in the various forums voicing their concern are not the typical users of consumer devices. These are the geeks, the nerds, the gadget-lovers – people who love to live on the bleeding edge of technology. They love to take apart gadgets, to modify them, to hack them. Hence, the ability to upgrade is a significant consideration. On the other hand, the typical user most likely has yet to learn about the Eee PC, given the lack of aggressive marketing on the part of Asus.

Now if the entry model of the Asus Eee PC functions properly as advertised – depending on how Asus finally positions it – the vast majority of users will likely not be bothered by the lack of upgradeability. After all, how many users actually upgrade their mobile phone’s RAM? Or their PDAs? Or even their iPods? The iPods are even worse, the battery is also non-removable. Yet this did not prevent the iPod from becoming a best-selling iconic product.

The reality is that the typical consumer is not bothered by upgradeability issue. If the Asus Eee PC functions much like a consumer device (and its Easy user interface actually allows it to do so), then the typical user will regard it as such. And as most consumer devices go, they are not really upgradeable. In fact, the cheaper ones are actually throw-away products after only one or two years of use.

If you think about it the only reason why there is an issue about memory upgradeability is that Asus has been positioning the Asus Eee PC as a notebook. Ergo, notebook = memory upgrade capability. But if Asus has, from the very start, positioned the Asus Eee PC as a consumer device that will allow a typical user to go on-line, check email, work on documents and spreadsheets, then the upgradeability issue becomes moot. And at the original announced $199 price point, pricing was more in-line with consumer devices than with notebooks.

Even with the higher prices, Asus can still market the Asus Eee PC as a consumer device. After all its user interface is simple enough. Turn it on, the icons appear. Click this to go online. Click this to check email. Click this to write a document. Easy enough. For as long as the Asus Eee PC functions as advertised, typical users will not be concerned about upgrading, the way they are not concerned about upgrading their mobile phones, their PDAs, their iPods. So whether memory is upgradeable is not is actually a non-issue.

For the typical user, at least. As for the geeks, the nerds, the gadget freaks among us – well, that sadly is another issue