By akademiotoelektronik, 08/07/2022

With its latest expert book and Chromebook, Asus Business sets out to attack the PRO market (video)

Alexandre Boero 05 October 2021 at 11 a.m.

With its ASUS Business division, the Taiwanese manufacturer of the same name goes to conquer the professional market.But it does it with products that may appeal far beyond the simple market "BtoB."Interview.

After the cancellation of the 2020 edition, It Partners, like most other major tech and pro events in the country, returned this year.Asus took the opportunity to present on an immersive stand the solutions and products of its ASUS Business division (called as it is since last year), among which its ranges of Chromebook and Expertbook, products intended for professional use but which do not seemNot so far from the consumer market.To talk about it, and to discuss the strategy of Asus Business, we were able to chat with Benjamin Colin, director of the BtoB division of Asus Business France, from the It Partners in Disneyland Paris.

Benjamin Colin (© Alexandre Boero pour Clubic)

The interview with Benjamin Colin, Asus Business France - Part 1: "The Expertbook"

Clubic: Asus Pro has become Asus Business, thanks to a year 2020 which was marked by the pandemic.How was this Benjamin transition?

Benjamin Colin: Indeed.We already talked about it together in 2019 and Parlions of Asus Pro, the company's BtoB division, which since 2014 has developed all solutions to address businesses.Finally, we can officially announce the creation of the Asus Business cell, created in 2020, which is the natural evolution of the Asus Pro entity.

You are present here, in It Partners, with different product ranges, such as Expertbooks, Chromebooks, Studiobooks, Monitors, Mini PC.We can notably focus on the first two, to get an idea of the Asus Business universe ...

Indeed, we present an immersive approach to solutions.The idea is really to break the codes, even in the distribution, and to help our partners-reversors to project themselves on solutions to their end customers through the seven scenarios that we present on theevent.I have with me today the new expert book B5 Flip.This is the first time that it has been visible in France, so we are delighted to be able to make you discover it.It is part of the "Expertbook" range, which is a range dedicated to businesses, as its name suggests.

Asus Expertbook B5 Flip (© Alexandre Boero pour Clubic)

The B5 Flip will bring together all the features around security.The range incorporates all new needs, especially in relation to hybrid work, with the webcam hide, now something classic.There are also features specific to collaborative tools: it is possible to cut the sound, cut the camera into one touch, or activate the noise canceling (active noise reduction).

If we go further, on the back, a small diode lights up.This is an availability indicator.If you are in communication on a collaborative tool, that this Microsoft Teams, Zoom or Google Meet, a small light comes on so that the surrounding colleagues, in the office for example, are made aware that you are currently in communication, so that'They don't bother you.These are small details that show that we have listened to the needs of our customers and adapted the products to meet these new needs.

© Asus

What about the availability and price of the B5 Flip?

L'Expertbook B5 Flip est arrivé au mois de septembre, d'abord avec les versions 13,3''. Il existe en version Flip mais aussi en version Clamshell et embarque de nombreuses connectiques, HDMI, USB type-C, du RJ45 via un dongle, puisqu'il reste important de maintenir une connectivité à travers le réseau filaire, pour la sécurité. La gamme va s'étoffer, dès 2022, avec d'autres tailles. On peut aller de Core i5 à Core i7. Concernant le prix, il démarre à 949 euros pour le premier prix en tarif revendeur. On peut monter jusqu'à 1629,99 euros. La gamme est déclinée avec différentes fonctionnalités, on peut aller par exemple jusqu'à de l'i7 avec 16 Go de RAM, bien entendu en 11^ème génération avec possibilité d'upgrade très facilement en Windows 11 Pro, qui arrive. L'Expertbook est important et stratégique pour nous.

💻 The expert book B5 Flip, in 10 points:

La fameuse diode de l'Expertbook B5 Flip (© Alexandre Boero pour Clubic)

The interview with Benjamin Colin, Asus Business France - Part 2: "Le Chromebook"

On the Asus Business side, we also continue to develop on the ChromeBooks market ...

With the Chromebook, we change universes, we rock in that of ultra-mobility.We want to represent a new trend that there can be in business, the flex office, or flexible office, which means that we do not have a fixed workstation.We are really on hyper-mobility.Our Chromebook range is made up of several products.Here in It Partners, we present a product that has never been shown in distribution.This is the Chromebook Pro 14 CX9, an ultra premium and very light product that will respond to different uses.He barely weighs just over 1 kg.

Asus Chromebook CX9 (© Alexandre Boero pour Clubic)

Regarding the features, we take up what worked until then, and what we like to do is be inspired by the advantages and our innovation DNA that we have on our consumer products, to offer advantages to usersprofessionals.I am thinking in particular of the Numpad, already presented on Clubic, which also integrates our Expertbook ranges.

What about the availability and price of this Premium Chromebook?

We are really on a very premium product.It is a segment that was hitherto covered by any brand.We are going on a product that costs 1,199 euros in a dealer price.But we are on very high configurations, with Core i7 16 GB of RAM, for a featherweight and with 24 hours of autonomy.All the rest of the range will then expand the needs, with convertible, classic, entry -level.

💻 The Chromebook Pro 14 CX9400, in 10 points:

© Asus

We were talking earlier about a real trend at Chromebook.Can she impose herself over time?

It is a fundamental trend, which is growing.We know that the market, in France, is still a little shy on the Chrome part, but the Google teams and we have real ambitions.The covid effect has not yet energized the chrome more than that, but it has overall energized the market all bone.In 2022, there will be great things, notably thanks to education, which is one of the universes we present on IT Partners, a universe in which there is chrome.In countries around France, chrome dynamics are obviously highly engaged.

We address the BtoB market with the two products you present to us today, the expert book B5 Flip and the Chromebook series 9. But the differences between consumer products and products dedicated to professionals seem less and less numerous,in particular by this development of mobility and that of collaborative ...

Indeed, the border is increasingly fine.From the user's point of view, people want the same on both sides, and that's why we worked the design of the product.We talked about Numpad in particular, but there are ultra -foster edges too.Customers want to find, at the office, the same advantages as products in the general public.We try to be on the border of all this and combine the two worlds.

À la croisée des chemins (© Alexandre Boero pour Clubic)