Asustek Computer is set to launch a new netbook priced at US$200-250 in June in cooperation with Intel, and hopes to achieve its goal of shipping six million netbooks in 2011, according to sources from upstream component makers.

Affected by tablet PCs, a 10-inch single-core Atom netbook with a price below US$280 has already appeared in the retail channel, while dual-core models' ASPs are only at around NT$12,000 (US$405), and as more tablet PCs are set to launch in the near future, market watchers are conservative about netbook's future.

However, as Asustek will launch a model with a price of US$200-250, it should help the company avoid direct competition from tablet PCs, which are priced at around US$299-499.

The sources believe that Asustek's new netbook should either adopt Google's Android 3.0 or Chrome OS in order to achieve such a price level, and the new model is expected to attract consumers who only need to perform office work and Internet browsing.

In addition to mainstream level models with a price below NT$10,000, Asustek also plans to launch several mid-range and high-end models with prices at around US$499 and feature fashionable designs and cloud computing services.