It's an odd concept, really. A desktop computer that's also a tablet. It's also a concept that ASUS has been developing for a few months now. Long ago announced, the ASUS AiO has finally arrived in North America. ASUS has high hopes for the AiO in North American markets, though I'm not sure it's a product that will sell well.

Why? Picture a large desktop screen. Now, consider picking up that (heavy) screen and carrying it around with you for use as a tablet. See what I'm getting at? Still curious? Here are the details that go along with ASUS' strange new invention.

Inside the ASUS AiO Hybrid

First, I'd like to point out that the AiO screen is 18.4-inches. That's a heck of a lot of screen to pick up and carry around! Additionally, this is a Windows 8 hybrid; has 8GB of RAM, a DVD drive, GeForce GT 730M, 1TB hard drive, and wraps it all up with a 3.1GHz Core i5. Those are a few relatively nice bits of an otherwise strange computer/tablet combination.

The main attraction here, of course, is the detachable tablet aspect. When removed, that massive 18.4-inch screen becomes a Tegra-3 Android tablet. This tablet runs on Jelly Bean, and seems to be a relatively nice overall desktop or tablet option -- minus the screen size factor. It seems obvious that ASUS did not make this hybrid for everyday tablet use. The image of someone carrying around an 18.4-inch screen is somewhat ridiculous, after all. So, what was this hybrid made for?

Who Might Get Use Out of the AiO?

Why would anyone use a detachable tablet that measures more than 18-inches? Well, you might want to use this hybrid if you are tired of sitting at your home desk. Or, if you want to take your screen into another room to watch a movie or share with a family member.

It's hard to imagine this desktop hybrid being part of an office environment, but I suppose you could detach the screen form its dock and share presentations and such.

Still, there are many slimmer laptop/tablet combinations on the market that seem to make more sense than this desktop/tablet combo. ASUS is also entering into the desktop market at a really tough time.

As PC Sales Slip...

PC sales are at an all-time low, but, technically, this isn't a mere PC. It's a PC/tablet hybrid, but, really, it is a PC. It seems likely that ASUS will lose money on the AiO venture, but we'll see how this hybrid sells in North America.

Right now, the AiO is selling for around $1299. This is a price that is competitive enough, but possibly too high for such an odd device (?). If you want to venture out on a limb (or find that you can't live without an 18-inch detachable screen), you can find the AiO on many websites including Amazon. This tablet/desktop combo is rarely out of stock, and it seems to be available in many different places.