ASUS shifts to smartphones, might have a new Nexus soon

ASUS is hardly an underdog when it comes to the the tech world. It is considered one of the top 5 PC vendors in the world and its recent success with the ZenFone 2 has proved that it is a force to contend with in mobile as well. Naturally, the company has its eyes set on even higher things. Chairman Jonney Shih already revealed its aspirations at creating something like Microsoft's HoloLens but apparently that's just the tip of the iceberg of ASUS' plans for future domination, plans that include shifting its focus from notebooks to smartphones.

That might be a rather shocking and even illogical goal given where ASUS' biggest revenue source is right now. Shih, however, defends this statement by saying that ASUS is alway trying to remain relevant. Right now, relevance depends on driving innovation in the smartphone market, at least in Shih's eyes. And the company might actually be already in the best position to make that happen. It's earliest PadFone concept, which transformed a smartphone into a tablet into a notebook, might have been a bit too far ahead of its time. But now with the likes of Microsoft Windows 10's Continuum, or even Jide's desktop-friendly Android-based Remix OS, the time might be ripe to revisit that idea again.

Shih also hinted that the company is currently doing "a lot of projects" together with Google. At face value, this might be a clue that there could be a third Nexus 7 tablet in the works. After all, Google doesn't seem to be averse to repeating a device with the same manufacturer. That said, there might be indications that Google is done with Nexus tablets, at least for the time being. The Pixel C, a 2-in-1 Android tablet, might point to a different path for Google's Android tablets. Then again, ASUS also has that 2-in-1 form factor already down to a "T". ASUS isn't spilling any bean yet, simply advising to stay tuned.

These are, of course, simply statements and promises that have yet to see any actual implementation, even a leaked concept device. That said, ASUS does seem well equipped and well positioned to make it so.

VIA: Trusted Reviews