When the Eee PC from Asus was launched it was heralded as a new era in low cost computing, but the latest word from Asus about its upcoming Eee branded products makes us wonder if Asus has completely lost the plot, as some of the upcoming models are expected to cost between US$700-900 (€449-577).

According to a leaked roadmap, the new models are meant to be slimmer and lighter and Asus are calling the market segments for Ultimate and Pro Fashion, whatever that means. According to Digitimes, these new Eee PC ranges will feature dual core Atom processors, 120GB hard drives or 32GB SSD drives and 10.1-inch 16:9 LED backlit displays.

The first new model is said to be the S-series and it's said to have 4-5h battery life. Asus is targeting the high-end market with this model, however, we have a hard time seeing anyone willing to spend that much on what will ultimately be an underpowered machine at a price that no one is willing to pay.

The S-series it meant to launch sometime in September, although that might very well depend on Intel and the availability of dual core Atom processors. Asus is expecting to ship 1.5-1.6 million of these overpriced netbooks and we have a feeling that they won't sell as well as Asus hopes.

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