One of the most premium Asus lines in the Android world is the “Transformer Prime” series. For a while now it has been known that Asus is planning to release an Asus Transformer Book that extends that line into Windows 8 territory.
Now MacMall is taking pre-orders for the device, which could mean it is finally just around the corner.
The Asus Transformer Book could be a perfect enterprise device for a number of reasons. For starters, the 13.3-inch 1920×1080 notebook is also a large tablet when disconnected from the laptop base. That means you have a great work machine that can also be used to pass around as a presentation laptop at meetings, client conferences and even just when relaxing with the device on the couch, for that that might consider this device as a BYOD option.
The Transformer Book is also more than capable of handling just about anything you throw at it, thanks to its beefy 1.9GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 4GB of RAM, 500GB HDD and second 128GB SSD. The 128GB SSD is actually what is used in tablet mode, with the additional 500GB HDD being inside of the dock.
This is useful because it means you don’t have to worry about knocking around a HDD when using it as a tablet. Of course that also means you won’t have access to the stuff in your dock at all times.
The downside to this device is pricing (starting at a hefty $1,479.99) and weight, since the total weight is around 4.2 pounds – though that’s including the laptop base. While no official shipping date has yet to be revealed, it is expected to hopefully arrive sometime in mid-March.
What do you think, could you see yourself using this as a BYOD unit for both work and play? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
I’m a fan of the transformer. I think I’d prefer this over the Surface but the price will be a factor. It will have to have windows 8 pro for sure at that price.