Asus pandas to greens with Bamboo notebook

 

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By Philipp Gollner, Reuters

Posted on 14 Dec 2007 at 07:30

Building computers and PC peripherals out of wood is nothing new - in fact, Apple's first computer was nothing more than a homemade motherboard inside a wooden box. Now Asus has taken things a step further, unveiling an eco-friendly notebook made of bamboo.

The Asus Eco Book, as it's dubbed, has a case made of laminated bamboo strips, available in different shades. Harvesting bamboo - an abundant, flexible, durable and fast-growing grass - is less harmful to the environment than harvesting wood. However, a few Panda bears might take exception to the electronics industry usurping their favourite snack.

The product is still in the prototype stage and engineers are testing to see if bamboo is suitable for laptops, which have to endure extreme conditions while allowing heat from microprocessors and monitors to escape.

The Eco book is a new tack for a company that caters to executives and other high-end users with its calf leather-bound notebooks and faux alligator-skin models.

"Originally we came out with a leather model style-book," says Cher Chronis, director of marketing communication for Asus in the US. "It was very popular. After that, it was kind of natural for us to experiment with other types of materials, so we decided to go green."

While just about all big computer makers are taking steps to make technology more environmentally friendly, Asus is one of the first to unveil a bamboo-encased computer.

"As part of a portfolio of case choices, it makes sense," says Roger Kay, president of PC market researcher Endpoint Technologies Associates. "I don't think the computer is going to go over to wooden casing. It's ecological to grow it, but my sense is there's probably more show than substance to the claim of sustainable manufacturing."

While plastic casings often contain toxins like polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, the bigger environmental threats come from the silicon and other chemicals used in the computer's components.

Consumers and businesses are expected to buy about 260 million PCs this year, a 12% jump from 2006's level, according to market researcher IDC. Growth is being fuelled by surging demand for notebook computers.

With so many computers being sold, an estimated 500 million computers have hit obsolescence in the US alone in the past 10 years.