When Microsoft releases Windows 7 to manufacturers the company will make several different versions available, including the low cost Windows 7 Starter Edition which limits users to running 3 programs at a time. In the past, Starter Editions of Windows were only available in developing nations, but Microsoft sees the crippled version of Windows as a way to allow netbook makers to license the software without driving up the price of mini-laptops. If customers want more features they can either buy more expensive netbooks with Windows 7 Home Premium or they can pay Microsoft for an upgrade after bringing the computer home.
Nobody really knows how this strategy will work until it’s tried. My guess is that a lot of users will be frustrated at their computer’s inability to run multiple programs. Some will figure out ways around it, some will buy upgrades, and many will just decide to return or stop using their netbooks. And some people won’t notice. After all, if you can run a web browser and an instant messaging app, you can get a lot done these days.
But if you want to be able to run multiple programs and access all of the features of Windows 7 that are available in the current beta version of the operating system (which runs beautifully on most netbooks), you’ll want Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Ultimate. While I doubt that netbooks will be shipping with Ultimate any time soon, several computer makers have already expressed an interest in Windows 7 Home Premium. And Samsung officials say that while Microosft is offering the Starter Edition for netbooks, once the company finds out more about pricing it will decide whether to offer different versions of the operating system on netbooks.
In related news, Samsung has no current plans to develop a Linux netbook. But if market demand for one increases, (say if Microsoft charges too much for Home Premium licenses), then the company might consider building one.
I won’t even start into the totally biased approach to offering advice that Matthew states he provides, nevertheless I would never do that.
Not providing advice based on realistic requirements rather than personal preferences is not advice in my mind, it is control of information. Anyway…
The story was about MS and a “crippled” version of Windows 7. I think MS are making yet another unpopular and short sighted blunder. This may come back to bite them, in fact I would be surprised if it didn’t.
After the crappy press on Windows Vista they have got drunk with confidence on the Windows 7 pre-release feedback.
All they now need to do is spoil that by making a silly move to make users who want windows to think that XP is probably worth hanging onto!!
MS I give you the “how to easily shoot myself in the foot” prize
Why are they doing this?
Well lets face it they won’t get push back from the hardware suppliers as they would prefer not to sell these devices as the profit margins are very low. They would much prefer to sell higher margin devices but and are only doing so because some sales are better than none and the Acers of this world started something that has generated huge interest so they have to respond or be left out.
They internal MS financial folk see it as a way of not reducing the sale price of the the full edition of Windows 7. Imaging if Windows 7 (home edition) was at the the competitive price point on netbooks, others would ask why they couldn’t have that on standard PC’s.
But for MS in the long run the consumers will roast them over it and the netbook sales will suffer. So most of the standard the corporates win and the consumer once again gets a raw deal.
“…Because Asus and HP have shown a commitment to Linux…”
Matthew, HP’s commitment is somewhat lacking, they removed the option do buy their netbooks w/ suse on them in GB. Also, when their first released the mininote w/ suse, it was a piec of , lacking driver support, lagging and slooooooow. I would not call this commitment.
I totally agree on other things though. Still, one thing to keep in mind is that Samsung is a Korean company, and virtually 99% of Korean on-line business rely on active-x, IE, silverlight or some other of the microsoft’s abominations. Having said that, there is little to no incentive for them to sell or support linux for the local market. This might affect how they approach the issue of offering their hardware w/ linux globally.
Brad, I’m not sure there’s such a thing as “to develop a Linux netbook”. They develop a netbook and can sell it w/ a linux distro or not. The only part of the process that might be called “development” is creating (and hopefully supporting) the linux driver packages, in case the current kernel can’t handle some HW properly.
I think Samsung needs to pay a little more attention to Linux users. I am a strong proponent of both Linux and netbooks, and am personally responsible for the purchases of 6 different netbooks. Additionally, I am the person who provides netbook buying advice to friends and family, and I always point them in the direction of Asus or HP, never Samsung. why? Because Asus and HP have shown a committment to Linux, and Samsung has not.
I would assume that most Linux users provide this type of support to friends and family, and are in a position to drive sales to companies that support Linux, regardless of whether the netbook being purchased actually runs Linux.