Ordered an Asus Taichi? Expect shipping delays until next year

When we first heard that ASUS were going to release a dual screen full HD touch enabled tablet-hybrid, our interest was definitely piqued. The Taichi 21 was originally scheduled for distribution in November following the release of Windows 8 in late October.

We’re now headed into December and still no word for frustrated consumers who have already shelled out more than US$1200 for the device. ASUS now say customers can expect delivery some time in December or later for the 11.6-inch Taichi, with many online retailers discontinuing orders.

The Taichi 21 boasts some impressive specs, which makes the fact that consumers will have to wait until next year to receive it only worse. The tablet-hybrid runs a Intel Core i5 processor supported by a 128GB SSD. The 21 also features ten finger touch integration with a full array of USB 3.0, HDMI, VGA and Bluetooth 4.0 functionality. On paper at least the Taichi 21 should be one of the most sought after Windows 8 tablets out there.

This holdup will only result in the product losing ground to competitors. Should the Taichi only reach customers next year it will struggle to meet ASUS’ sales expectations. This disruptive issue also extends to the Taichi 31, a 13.3-inch dual screen variant, which was also intended for a December release.

As ASUS has only given a statement acknowledging the shipping snafu and no reason for it, we can only assume that the issue lies with hardware. ASUS’ other Windows 8 offerings have made its way to consumers without any hiccups, so why the Taichi? We trust this shipping problem gets resolved quickly, or the ASUS Taichi may have to tap out before getting into the ring.