Eee 900 launches with limited stock

Asus has officially launched the latest version of its Eee PC, the Eee PC 900, but most UK customers are currently unable to get their hands on the popular subnotebook.

The Taiwanese manufacturer said in mid April that the Eee 900 would hit shelves this Thursday, 1 May, but online retailers and high-street chains do not currently have supplies. It does appear, however, that selected smaller shops do have stock.

"We don't have it at the moment because there's limited stock availability," said a spokesperson for the Dixons Group, which incorporates the Currys and PC World chains in the UK. "Apparently that's industry-wide. It's available for pre-order through PC World, but I don't know when [it will arrive]."

Some e-retailers' sites suggest that stock will arrive on 3 May.

An Asus representative told CNET.co.uk's sister site ZDNet.co.uk on Thursday that the Eee 900 was already available through selected launch partners, such as Micro Anvika. "[We are] selling them now," said the spokesperson, who was speaking from the laptop's launch event on London's Tottenham Court Road, a street lined with independent technology shops.

The Eee 900 offers several significant upgrades over its predecessor, the Eee 701, including a larger screen and more memory. The 701 has had a chequered history in terms of supply, a problem blamed by Asus on battery shortages and unanticipated demand.