ASUS Promises Secret Weapon to Battle iPad 2

PC maker ASUS claims it is ready to take on Apple’s upcoming second generation iPad with a “secret weapon,” following its introduction of four different tablet computer models at CES in early January. Company chairman Jonney Shih didn’t want to drop any hints, but did say there would be an announcement ahead of the product launch, according to Computerworld.

“We will try to provide a ‘secret weapon,’” Mr. Shih said. “Something we have not shown at this time but closer to the launch time we will show.”

Artist rendition: ASUS Secret weapon iPad killer

Mr. Shih is confident ASUS is in a good position to compete with Apple’s iPad. “We already know some of the details of that device, such as what kind of processor they chose… We very carefully chose our tablet processor, the Nvidia Tegra 2, and to really compete it will take [Apple] some time. You know, [Nvidia] is well known for graphics,” he said.

Apple hasn’t announced the second generation iPad yet, nor has it confirmed what components the multimedia tablet will use. Mr. Shih, however, seems certain he knows enough about Apple’s plans to build a product that can hold its own in a head-to-head competition.

Rumors claim the new iPad will be thinner, offer longer battery life, will include front and rear-facing cameras, may have a higher resolution display, will sport a built-in SD camera card reader, and could combine GSM and CDMA 3G wireless data support in a single model.

Since Apple’s competitors typically react to the company’s designs after products ship, it’s difficult for them to keep up and ship their own devices quickly. Just what ASUS has in store with its secret weapon is still a secret, but our guess is that it involves unicorns and laser beams.