Asus speaks out on UK Eee PC 900 battery issue Asus today offered little solace for British Eee PC 900 buyers who've found that the machine packs a lower-capacity battery here than it does in some other countries. When Register Hardware reviewed the 900 last month - you can read our evaluation of the elfin PC here - we noted the 900 comes with a 4400mAh battery. We asked …
In most European countries the minimum warranty period for electrical goods is two years - so Asus cannot provide less and it appears they are off-setting this (forced) additional cost by providing a lower capacity battery.
In the UK I think that one year is the minimum warranty but it makes sense to have one product for the entire European market.
it seems that in Europe / rip off UK we get the option: choose Windows and 12GB or Linux and 20GB. However with the battery we were given NO choice - and indeed no advance warning. Mine was preordered before the full UK battery specs were released.
Please El-Reg - give them some more stick. this is an easy cop-out and it is an obvious one most people will try to wriggle from. it will also be interesting to see if all Europe really does get the 4400 or whether it is just UK?
Next time I will import from USA or wherever best deal comes from.
These extended warranties are pointless. I would expect an Asus Eee PC to last for at least 2 years anyway.
Guarantees are "in addition to", not "a replacement of" statutory rights and the PC must be of merchantable quality & "fit for the purpose it was made for". If the screen went or the speakers broke after a year through a major fault or inherent issue I could claim anyway. Accidental damage isn't covered so no benefit to me.
Give me the battery instead.
This is the same as Washing machines, where they offer 5 years warranty or 3 year coverage. I am covered anyway because any court is going to agree a washing machine should last more than 12 months. I suppose the question is why do computers have such short "accepted" lifespans for a very very expensive home item.
I was beginning to doubt El Reg's credentials but you have decided to bite rather than lick the hand that feeds IT.
One thing though: the US model comes with a 5800mAh battery, not 5200. Its capacity is almost a third more than the UK's.
I agree about the "caveat emptor" but Asus told me at least twice on the phone before I received mine that it would have a 5200 battery. I called them because the supplier (play.com) didn't have a clue, and suggested I talked to Asus.
European law REQUIRES that everything comes with a minimum 2 Years warranty. A fact that seems to be lost on most manufacturers.
We should also remember that warranties are IN ADDITTION to our statutory rights, which state that anything we 'buy' must be 1. Merchantable quality, 2. Fit for purpose and 3.Last a reasonable amount of time.
No amount of clever wording in your '12 month' warranty can take away from your statutory right for things to work for a 'reasonable amount' of time.
...as an optional extra?
Hardly ideal, but for an on-the-go laptomajobamajig, a spare battery isn't a bad thing, is it?
Better than [what appears to be] the kick in the teeth the EU buyers seem to be getting at the moment.
Steven R
Paris, because she prefers hicap batteries, but not for her EeePC...
According to http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/articles/view.php?id=2543&cid=14&pg=5 Asus are offering a battery replacement in Singapore as well.
So we have
Hong Kong - originally shipped 4400mAh, replacement programme for the 5800mAh
Singapore - originally shipped 4400mAh, replacement programme for the 5800mAh
US - originally shipped with 5800mAh
UK - shipped with 4400mAh, tough, deal with it.
Gee thanks Asus. now why didn't I wait till the MSI wind was released...
Well the creative boys in Hong Kong central , the ones that brought the touch screen to the 700 series have it seems created their own unique solution with two additional "Cartman style fat ass" power packs one has a claimed 6600maH and the other is a 10400maH monster along with the standard factory jobs or so it would seem , but with that shyster town who really knows ?
Like wow the beach babe is back , thank you very much !
Is this The Daily Wail? Let me see...so the more powerful and higher spec 900 offers almost as much battery life as the old 701 - I can see plucky British punters shaking their cloth caps in outrage in the streets and kicking their whippets in frustration.
*yawn*
Really, get over it, what a non-story! Tell me something significant and I my might raise an eyebrow at it. For example: what's the price comparison between an Eee PC 900 in the UK/USA/HK once taxes etc. are taken into account? If the disparity is less than for M$ Fistula or a Sony PS3 then I will remain underwhelmed. If not then I might become outraged about how much we have to pay for this very desirable bit of kit.
Please find something for us to be genuinely outraged about, I for one am not a Daily Wail reader and do not have a big red button on my back labelled "PRESS HERE FOR APOPLEXY"
excuse me if I'm wrong - but the other Eee PC's such as the 701 also come with the 2 year warranty - it's "standard" and I think it's standard on Most if not ALL Asus laptops sold in the UK / EU?
so how can something you get free anyway - be the reason for the "cheaper" battery?
come on Asus - why Mislead people with reviews and also info stating "2.5 to 3 hours battery life" - when on the 4400 you are very lucky to see 2 hours?
yes you never said it came with a 5800 battery - but theres no way on earth you can get 3 hours with out it...
The initial response from Asus was that the suppliers were at fault for ordering the wrong model and they offered a choice of batteries. That was soon de-bunked by any discussion with retailers who confirmed that they were given no choice.
The latest from Asus has been that Asus UK is reviewing the situation...
The real issue here is that the 4400 mAh battery for a UMPC is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard. Even with the screen dimmed and without Wifi activated the battery life is pretty pathetic - for word processing I think the longest I have had is 2 hours and frequently less. With Wifi on and doing anything more intensive then word processing it is even more limited.
No offence to you Tony but when many of us bought our 900s your review was not available and we had to go on reviews from abroad which all had the 5800 mAh battery.
Well from what ASUS have stated it to the Reg It would appear that the Battery is covered for two years as well as the laptop.
That's BRILLIANT :-)
Batteries are classed as a 'consumable item' under UK law so the two year warranty doesn't count against batteries.
90% of laptops sold in the UK only warranty the battery for SIX months (e.g. Toshiba) . Sony are even more evil in that their batterries are only covered for THREE months.
I'd much rather be able to get a battery which doesn't hold it's charge after two years replaced for free than a larger capacity battery which won't be replaced as it's out of warranty.
Come on people, Asus really arn't being playing nasty, I'd say they are playing downright fair.
Note to Reg. Can you confirm with Asus that the battery is covered for the two years rather than just the eee itself please?
Well guys, if you ordered before the specs were released then you have no reason to complain. It's a bit like me complaining that I ordered a new Ford Fiesta before the specs were released and then feel let down when it didn't come with a V8. After all, Ford never said it wouldn't.
Seriously, if the spec matters that much to you then read it before you spend your money. Otherwise, live with it.
I just bought Wacom Bamboo Fun and was disappointed to find out that it came with pen only - no mouse nor spare "nibs", both of which are supplied with same product sold in US. Separate purchase of these accessories set me back by ~50 euro (apparently available only from Wacom shop online). No mouse was explicitly promised in any of the marketing material I found in UK, but I assumed (wrongly, as it turns out) that product reviews written by American users would also apply to product sold in Europe. Mouse was just one obscure detail that I missed - as the vendor hoped I would. Maybe because I turned my attention to another, more visible difference between markets : black version is only available in US, but not in Europe. Which reminds me of leaks that Asus Eee 901 might be available in black. Exercise to the reader : watch our for other specification differences between "white" and "black" version.
Ian McNee - you should bother to read the article and engage whatever brain cells you have before flailing about with your foot in your mouth...
It's *not* an article complaining that the EEE 900 has a different capacity/life to the earlier 701, it's that the EEE 900 sold in the UK has a different (considerably lower) battery capacity than those sold in the US.
Given the increased competition for small, cure and useful PC's. You have to look at what the others have. They all do what the asus does and because it is no longer cheap and cheerful at £300+ you have to look at the specs a lote more. Tha means the battery life as well as wifi, SD cards and bluetooth etc.
So perhaps ther other alternatives can nip in here and steal it.
Though their reasoning sounds like why Vista costs twice as much instead of half price.
@Ian Mcnee, you need to live in the real world. Whippets, cloth caps... I live in Yorkshire and that doesn't happen here and that IS the most back to basics place. It's all hoodies and burberry now. Only the toffs of the dales still wear the caps.
That being said. As for the daily mail. Sadly most yocals round here read the sun, so probably can't understand battery as it has more than one syllabel. The sun readers coping with more than one is a rare treat.
The 900 has been on sale for over 3 weeks now and there are no official specs. Most retailers just quote what Asus produced for the 70x series Eee ie 2.8-3.5 hours battery life. Is it not reasonable to expect the new flagship model to have at least the same battery as previous top models? The 900 is more power hungry (bigger screen and faster operating processor) than the 8GB 701 yet comes with a smaller battery...
Plus some reviewers were supplied with a 5800 battery when the retail units were coming with 4400 batteries - that is dishonest or a mistake.
But the real point is about how can a laptop that is designed as a UMPC be expected to function with such a poor battery and why should we in the UK just roll over when it seems that everyone else is either getting a replacement battery or the 5800 from the start?
C'mon people let's not be side-tracked by the red herring of the warranty issue.
This is really about useability not specs or warranties.
Actually Nick I credited other readers here with the intelligence to spot that my point was that:
(i) in spite of having a battery with a lower capacity than the same model available in the US and elsewhere it still has a very usable battery life;
(ii) there are more significant things to get upset about.
I'll be happy to supply you with the Fisher-Price explanation of El Reg article comments in future :)
I like so many UK buyers scrambled to buy the eee900 as soon as it came out. I believe this shows commitment to Asus especially as many many 900 buyers were ex-700/701 owners!
None of us expected the UK only to be completely shafted over the 900's power requirements. It is an absolute disgrace that for some weird reason Asus thinks the 900 will take less power in the UK. I mean where do they get this information from? We pay more in the UK for the machine, yet have a laptop that now run's for less time than ANY other country's version! They state all sorts of rubbish about the battery issue to different complainants. The latest being 'European 900s come with both types of battery' yet Italy is the latest country to get 5800mAh from the start...
Come on Asus do the right thing. You may have our money for this 900, but unless you sort somethign out for the 'loyal' I am afraid not only will you lose our future trade, but also taint your previously good image. Doing this to the UK goes against your own company Mission Statement!
So the UK gets the inferior old Surf battery because ASUS have to comply with EU law? what a joke!
If their "excuse" about the warranty was actually true why are their reports on the forum at www.eeeuser.com of Italians buying EeePC900's in Italy from authorised stockists (ie. not grey imports) BUT SUPPLIED WITH THE PROPER 5800 mAh BATTERY? Or has Itely suddenly left the EU?
Come on ASUS, either do the right thing and upgrade the batteries of the early adopters, say, everyone who registered before 20th May, OR tell us you don't care about the UK market.
Maybe then we can vote with our wallets and move on to the products from a more ethical company.
I would like to add my voice to the dissent. I'm a prospective 900 buyer (was going to buy one this evening, but i knew there was an issue with the batteries -- little did I know how big it was until I read this thread).
ASUS need to do something, and fast - they are losing prospective buyers because of this one issue. It would be a real shame for the 900 not to fulfill its potential because of poor customer care.
The product is excellent -- sort it out ASUS!
I may be wrong but I think the EU require the warantee to be honoured in any EU country - although you might have to return it to the subsiderary you bought it from.
That's probably the main reason they all have uk/de/it/etc subsiderary companies to do the selling.
Buyers should also remember that the distance selling regs will allow you to return within 14 days. The law may even say a reasonable time...
Well it looks like the pace is picking up now that Engadget has jumped on this - about time! Asus seem to be taken quite unaware by this, which is absolutely bizarre. Do they not understand the anticipation about these items, and the fact that early adopters worldwide are comparing specs and running intensive tests? Jerry Shen has been receiving direct emails and passing them to Emily in the UK - lets hope she points out to Jerry that this won't just go away, and needs to be resolved immediately if Asus want to salvage their reputation.
well, well well...
after many complaints - least not from the great users at Eeeuser.com - we have it sorted...almost
Asus UK today has confirmed, that they are working on a rebate scheme whereby for approx £10 early purchasers will be supplied with a 5800 battery.
an official announcement will be made in due course but this won't be before they are able to secure enough 5800 batteries. At the moment they do not have enough. I couldn't get a timescale out of him but he said they are definitely going to do something.
they admitted that the 3 hour claim on ToysRUs POS material and the several hours in the manual was based on the higher capacity battery and also that we (UK) received the 4400 battery as there weren't enough 5800 batteries.
they agreed you cannot get 3 hours with the current battery even with his own tests.
so due to Asus qouting the same 3 hour battery life everywhere - even in places with the much smaller battery we get a result
so we pay £10 for a 5800 battery -and from what we can gather - we keep the tatty old 4400 as a spare..
lets hope an Official statement comes from Asus UK shortly..
I bought one of these systems and have so far been happy with it .. the fact that we are now offered a new battery for a small fee of a tenner is great .. There was obviously a mess up with the marketing and reviews etc but I feel Asus have addressed this .. The concerns I keep reading about online are that we are being ripped off in the UK .. Asus have taken note of us and said ok for a small admin fee we will give you a battery that costs £45 quid for £10 .. I feel they are being fair and not just brushing us under the carpet ..
I would still recommend an Eee Pc to friends and family as for its purpose and price tag is a great little gadget .. Battery life on the smaller battery is still superior to my partners laptop ..
All in all I am a very happy customer ..
Sabbie - do you work for Asus ;-)
Seriously, I am happy with the Eee except for the battery which is crippling it as a laptop - 1.5 hours is not acceptable in anyway.
Anyway there is a poll here which is producing some interesting results already:
http://www.mobilecomputermag.co.uk/20080602546/is-the-eee-pc-900-battery-brouhaha-a-storm-in-a-teacup.html#josc648
The poll is on the right hand side under the ad.
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