Cheapest netbook yet rumoured from Asus this June

Rumour has it Asus is planning a new, cheap-as-chips netbook that will run on the Google Chrome operating system – and that it will be released as early as June.

$200 is the suggested price for the new Eee netbook – a price that undercuts even the cheapest netbooks on the market. Running it on a Chrome OS, or potentially and Android OS, means not having to pay any Windows licensing fees and this helps the price.

Critics are questioning the viability of the netbook market, however, with tablets being the undisputed gadget of the season. But if the speculation about the pricing of the new Asus is true, there should be a market for such a product. Not to mention the fact that many people still want a keyboard with their online browsing gadgets, and for those the netbook is perfect.

The Intel Atom-powered netbook from Asus is expected to be 10-11 inches big with built-in 3G capabilities. Asus has stated it wants to ship 6 million netbooks this year, including a new mid- and high-end range of computers too.