Microsoft says Netbooks Don't Exist

[Lordbob75]

One of the more surreal moments at this week's Computex show in Taipei must have been a chat during which Microsoft's OEM boss laid down the law. Steve Guggenheimer, a friend of long standing, told the crowd that netbooks don’t really exist.
If anybody can pull this off, he's the guy. A much-traveled and well-liked Microsoft exec, Guggs now has the job of protecting Microsoft's longest-lived cash cow, the revenue it gets from selling operating systems to hardware vendors for delivery with new PCs.
Microsoft has been toying with how to charge for Windows 7 on netbooks in a way that protects the Golden Goose (Windows hardware sales) without killing the newest brood of Goslings (netbooks).
As much as Microsoft wants more netbook revenue--as close to "real notebook" OS prices as it can get--it can't risk putting too much of a crimp in netbook sales by raising the reported $15-a-machine it gets for Windows XP.
Increase the price for Windows netbooks very much and Microsoft potentially gives an unintended push to non-Windows netbooks, meaning Android more than Linux.
What's a Microsoft lifer supposed to do? Give a speech! And as for its content, there are two ways things can go:

If Microsoft Wants to Rename Netbooks, How About Something Bingy? - Business Center - PC World

Good old Microsoft. That's right, netbooks no longer exist; it's official.

~Lordbob

 

[DarkXeno]

Ah Microsoft, what will you say/do next. Those people high up really know how to make us in the real world laugh.
Thanks for the information.


As you can tell its a very slow day for me here in Pittsburgh, everyone is still hungover do to the Pens. So I have time to read what people are talking about here.

 

[holo88]

i personally think the whole prospect of netbooks is stupid. i can imagine kids will want them, and possibly Japanese folk (i hear they like tiny electronics :huh but for the battle hardened business man? I SAY NAY!
i wouldn't want to get the comments like this, thrown at me:
"hey! that's a cute little lappy. where'd you get it? a gum ball machine?"

and if they're going to rename them. why not something cool, like 'Face-Breaker'

 

[Lordbob75]

i personally think the whole prospect of netbooks is stupid. i can imagine kids will want them, and possibly Japanese folk (i hear they like tiny electronics :huh but for the battle hardened business man? I SAY NAY!
i wouldn't want to get the comments like this, thrown at me:
"hey! that's a cute little lappy. where'd you get it? a gum ball machine?"

and if they're going to rename them. why not something cool, like 'Face-Breaker'

LOL. I prefer Desktop Replacement laptops. That is the size of the one I will get. Huge. More Power! MORE POWER!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAH

~Lordbob

 

[damoh]

To be fair, i own a netbook and its one of the best things i ever bought, and i own two buisnesses lol

 

[Lordbob75]

To be fair, i own a netbook and its one of the best things i ever bought, and i own two buisnesses lol

My boss has one, and she likes it. Though she is buying a real laptop right now.....

Still, they are pretty nice.

~Lordbob

 

[garysgold]

To be honest, other than being lighter and smaller I don't see much difference between a netbook and an old laptop. Slower, smaller hard drive, good for email and web browsing, viewing pics. I already have the old lappy that I never use. I tend to agree with MS on this. Whatever you call it it's just a cheapy laptop. Talk about hype.
Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong as I have never seen one.

Gary

 

[benmandude]

I'm a college student and I have an EEE. I love the thing. I can put it my backpack without it taking up too much room and its perfect for studying on the go. The battery life is also another great asset, 7+ hours.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi all
I just LOVE these netbooks -- if you travel a lot these are brilliant -- you can do nearly everything you need to do on the road (including watching movies on a plane / train) and I certainly wouldn't leave home without one.

OK I wouldn't even THINK of running Photoshop CS4 for creating a HUGE professional A2 size print for pre-press using a RAW file from a top of the range DSLR like a Canon 1DS M2 but for typical office apps (presentations, spreadsheets etc etc), email and internet.

A 10 inch screen is plenty big enough for watching DVD's while travelling and a 1GB RAM machine can run W7 Ultimate just fine -- why bother with "Starter" etc.

These types of netbooks will continue to be developed -- the major problem in developing more powerful models (more RAM, faster processor) is in removing the heat in such a small size product.

Eventually these will be solved -- an 8GB QUAD processor is not beyond the technology to deliver in a reasonable time in the future -- with a slot of external keyboard and monitor these could render the "standard" laptop obsolete -- and if you look now there are actually incredible bargains to be had if you need a new standard laptop now.

Cheers

jimbo

 

[someotherguy]

Sure. No such thing as netbooks. This from the people that try to connect you to "desperate locations."

...the new text only Command Bar buttons and Libraries which focuses on aggregating data from desperate locations...

Source:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/discover/blog.aspx?p=E8E5CC039D51E3DB-2123469

 

[NightShadow]

Im using an eeepc 1000h to runwin7 and it runs sweet, ran Photoshop CS4 fine with xp and running better now with win7 using boost on an sd card, unless you want to create huge print size files.. but why would you with a screen of 10" lol.. runs alot of games well (i'm not a gamer but have tested a heap for benchmarks). Boottimes are pretty much the same as a desktop also .

 

[garysgold]

desperate locations.

The word is disparate not desperate. If your going to quote you should check your work. I really like libraries. They have made finding things much faster/easier for me.

Back OT. So smaller (not so good for these old eyes), lighter (a good thing, but I'm not going to be carrying it all that far) and longer use on battery which is the one thing that I like. Still it's just a tiny, less powerful laptop.

Gary

 

[someotherguy]

The word is disparate not desperate. If your going to quote you should check your work. I really like libraries. They have made finding things much faster/easier for me.

The word is desperate not disparate. If you're going to attempt to correct me you should check my source. The typo is Microsoft's not mine.

I never said anything negative about libraries. There was a hint of sarcasm in my post. I just thought that it was funny that the same people that said netbooks don't exist don't bother to proofread their site.

If Microsoft doesn't want to recognize that netbooks are gaining in popularity then they will loose even more of their market share.

 

[garysgold]

This is a cut and paste from the link you gave in the paragraph on shell folders. I have highlighted the word. Didn't see it anywhere else. Excuse me if I'm wrong or maybe they corrected it.

But what has happened is that Libraries makes accessing the data from these disparate locations much easier, a file added to the Public Document folder is automatically aggregated into the Documents Library.

Not trying to start anything. Just what I found.

Gary

 

[NightShadow]

seriously who cares about a typo..

 

[someotherguy]

This is a cut and paste from the link you gave in the paragraph on shell folders. I have highlighted the word. Didn't see it anywhere else. Excuse me if I'm wrong or maybe they corrected it.

But what has happened is that Libraries makes accessing the data from these disparate locations much easier, a file added to the Public Document folder is automatically aggregated into the Documents Library.

Oh, I agree with you completely. Libraries do make it easier to find things. I've become a big fan of it.

Anyway, as of 17:40GMT the typo is still there (the highlighting is mine):


BTW Back in the day we didn't call them desperate locations, we called them third world countries.

 

[Lordbob75]

Back OT. So smaller (not so good for these old eyes), lighter (a good thing, but I'm not going to be carrying it all that far) and longer use on battery which is the one thing that I like. Still it's just a tiny, less powerful laptop.

Gary

It's a little amusing actually. I have played around with my bosses netbook (small less powerful laptop computer....) and its actually pretty nice. They are pretty solidly built; not much space is wasted. Sometimes the click keys can feel a little cheap, but overall, its a nice product.

I would never EVER buy one, but some people are great with them.

~Lordbob

 

[joel406]

I was just shopping for a new laptop 2 days ago. I saw the "netbooks" right next to the MACS, both looked like a big joke. mostly the MAC prices vs power. I ended up with a Toshiba A305-s6905. C2Duo, 3gigs RAM, 16' screen and 320gig HD. $600.

$3000 for the same in a MAC. What a joke.

By the way...IT ROCKS!!

 

[jimbo45]

I was just shopping for a new laptop 2 days ago. I saw the "netbooks" right next to the MACS, both looked like a big joke. mostly the MAC prices vs power. I ended up with a Toshiba A305-s6905. C2Duo, 3gigs RAM, 16' screen and 320gig HD. $600.

$3000 for the same in a MAC. What a joke.

By the way...IT ROCKS!!

You've missed the whole point here -- ever tried carrying around a Laptop with a 16 inch screen through airport security or tried to use on a crowded long distance train -- however nice the laptops are -- totally impractical for travel these days especially with totally over the top security everywhere you travel now -- almost makes the old fashioned East German Stasi (pre fall of the Berlin Wall) like a Vicar's sunday tea party by comparison.

I've NOTHING against the laptops with big screens etc -- but designed fora TOTALLY DIFFERENT PURPOSE.

I'm quite tall and strong - and if even I baulk at lugging around a 16 inch laptop I'm quite sure that over 90% of the population would agree with me.

If you just take the laptop on VERY FEW trips then OK -- like if you are studying at a University and you need this in your College lodgings / room / dorm / hall of residence --don't know what they call them all these days then OK but for almost daily ROAD TRAVEL - then a NETBOOK fills the bill perfectly. Remember also these aren't meant to be Laptop or Desktop replacements although they can do pretty well with an external monitor plugged in.

Cheers
jimbo

Cheers
jimbo