Netbook prices are dropping to the point where cost is increasingly the only factor in trying to stave off tablets like the iPad, industry observers said Monday night. Using prices in the netbook field's Taiwanese home turf as an example, a 10-inch, single-core ASUS Eee PC had been cut to a relatively low $288 to create a wider price gap with tablets while most others were down to $339. Even attempts by ASUS to keep features up weren't working in Digitimes' checks, as the dual-core Eee PC 1015PEM was still down to $407.
