Even though the 802.11n standard has not yet been finalized, many vendors still began selling pre-N equipment. Consumers bit, and as a result there is a healthy amount of N-supporting equipment on store shelves. It was only manufacturers willingness to sell risky hardware that got it off the ground. Might the same thing happen with WiMAX? The technology, which has yet to take off and has no single official “standard”, might start being pushed by vendors this year. We already know that Asustek will be launching the second set of Eee PCs with WiMAX functionality.

Now it seems they might be expanding that to the rest of their notebook lineup. Asustek in particular might begin selling WiMAX-capable notebooks, from performance to mainstream. This includes units like the VX2, U6 series, V1, F88 and more. They assert that before the end of next year, a significant chunk, 20% or so, of notebook users will have WiMAX-capable notebooks. With a ready-to-go client base like that, it may help encourage distribution of WiMAX supporting infrastructure.