Microsoft Windows 7, the Starter Edition

Channel Insider has an article up discussing the pros and cons of Microsoft’s plans as far as netbooks and the upcoming Windows 7. Specifically, they discuss the Windows 7 Starter Edition, which is going to be a stripped-down version of the “regular” Windows 7 versions/distributions. One of the worst aspects of the Starter Edition will be the fact that it only allows for three applications to be run concurrently.

There will also be some advanced features missing, which I don’t think will be as important (for most) as the three application limit, but CI makes a good case for the Windows 7 Starter Edition versus the Windows XP Home edition that ships with many current netbooks:

The big question is, Will customers be willing to pay for an OS that is arguably less capable than Windows XP Home edition, which is currently found on the majority of netbook computers? Netbooks have proved to be a challenge for Microsoft—the company has had to make special exceptions to get netbook vendors to put a Microsoft OS on those systems, the end result being a step backward down to Windows XP.

They point out what many of us have experienced - where Vista ran poorly on ultraportable netbooks/sub-notebooks, Windows 7 (beta) runs much better and provides for a better overall experience, even when compared to the performance of XP Home (especially in the networking area).

They do make a crucial point that Microsoft can’t ignore: If Microsoft (and the manufacturers who will be working on what editions are shipped with various netbook models) botch it and start pushing out netbooks with the Starter Edition, Apple could very well gain quite a bit with the release of their own netbook. Chances are high that any netbook shipping from Apple is going to ship with a version of Mac OS X that resembles what you see with the MacBook and with the Mac mini (and it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s the same OS X that ships on their consumer products). Apple is very proud of the fact that they’ve managed to scale OS X down to the iPhone, and you also have a huge unofficial (highly unofficial) group of netbook users who have worked out how to install OS X on just about every type of netbook you can imagine. OS X runs well on these devices. Apple also makes use (or has in the past) of the fact that they basically have two versions of OS X they ship (three if you count the iPhone) - the consumer/client version, and the server version. They don’t have a Home or a Home Premium or a Professional or a Business or an Ultimate version.

Microsoft takes a huge risk when trying to push a version of Windows 7 that would restrict you to three applications, and Channel Insider mentions the advertising benefits that Apple would reap:

How will Apple respond to the launch of Windows 7 Starter Edition? I can picture the cute commercials now. Imagine a Mac commercial where the PC guy is shown juggling a couple of balls, the Mac Guy walks in juggling dozens of balls and throws one ball in the PC Guy’s direction, and the PC Guy drops everything

The ads would write themselves, as many American consumers have not experienced a “Starter” edition of Microsoft Windows, and would be extremely upset to find out after the fact that their netbooks with Windows 7 can’t do as much as their netbooks with Windows XP. Retailers would not be happy with Microsoft or the manufacturers, as they would bear the brunt of consumer anger and confusion.

Read: Channel Insider

Netbooks Impacting the Mainstream Market

Joe Wilcox, editor of Microsoft Watch, has put together an in-depth article about the impact netbooks are having on the traditional, or mainstream, laptop/notebook market.

Netbooks are cannibalizing the low-end part of the market and driving some margins down (in the so-called “race to the bottom”). Just how much they are is up for debate - I think once we’ve seen another quarter or two, and factor in the MSI Wind U100 and Acer Aspire One launch during the first half of last year, then we’ll have a better idea on just what kind of impact they are having. eWeek considers this a huge problem for the overall PC market, and they believe the Microsoft must be a part of anything that addresses this. They mention the first quarter 2009 shipment information that was just released by both Gartner and IDC, and PC shipments declined by 6.5 percent over this time last year, while netbooks/sub-notebooks sales were strong. I think some of that is being alarmist - even if netbooks didn’t exist, shipments would probably still be down. Companies are cutting back, and within the last few years, laptops have reached a point as far as cost versus computing power, where the benefits of upgrading fairly often for consumers has dropped substantially. It’s one thing if you are going from an old Celeron or Pentium 4-based laptop from 5 years ago to a Intel Core 2 Duo-based system, it’s another if you are already on a Core Duo or Core 2 Duo-based system. I think we’ve reached the point where people aren’t going to be compelled to upgrade as often. On top of that, you have Microsoft Windows 7 which is going to perform as well or better on existing systems that were sold with Vista (and it performs just fine on Intel Atom-based systems).

I think that it is a problem for manufacturers, but at the same time, the damage is done. It’s very clear that these devices are something that consumers are very interested in, and in many cases, they are being bought by people who may not already own a laptop for one reason or another. I can also see the fear that the NVIDIA Ion platform inspires in some - a low-end netbook/ultraportable, perhaps powered by an Intel Atom (or a VIA Nano), capable of HD graphics (even just 720p). That would absolutely impact the traditional 15″ (and now 17″) budget market. Netbooks with their current, outdated graphics systems, are already impacting the market - the demand was there, and the products to fill it simply didn’t exist, at least at a pricepoint that was affordable by mainstream consumers. As we go forward, you’ll find more people willing to forego the 15″ laptops for something in the 13″ and below range.
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Apple’s Netbook, AT&T’s 3G Upgrades

Commercial Times/Digitimes is reporting that Foxconn Electronics (as it’s known in the US, Hon Hai Precision Industry as it’s known elsewhere) could be the potential supplier for an Apple Mac OS X-based netbook.

Foxconn and Apple have a relationship that goes back several years, and they’ve manufactured either partially, or in whole, devices for Apple that include iPhones, MacBook Airs, Mac minis, along with some iPods, so it makes sense that they are in the running for this.

Something that maybe slightly related - on the heels of AT&T offering netbooks with mobile data plans, Telephony Online is reporting that AT&T is working on upgrading its existing 3G networks up to a 7.2Mb/s speed. The improvements that could potentially double current speeds/capacity are software-based, designed to boost its 3G network before its eventual move over to a 4G network.

Telephony Online claims that it’s centered around the downlink capacity. The article mentions that most laptop cards (and presumably USB adapters), as well as smartphones and iPhones that AT&T currently offers, can handle the increased capacity.

Should AT&T’s plans to offer netbooks with mobile data plans prove successful, along with iPhone OS 3.0 coming out in the not-too-distant future, the increased capacity should be put to the test. Already Skype has been rolled out to the iPhone (although WiFi access is needed for VOIP), and an iPhone-based Hulu.com client is in the works as well.

Read:
- DigiTimes
- Telephony Online
via AppleInsider

Samsung N110 Shipping in the US

A few weeks ago, there were pre-orders available for the 10.1-inch Intel Atom-powered Samsung N110 in the United States.

At the time, the pre-orders were available through Buy.com, but Buy.com is now listing them as unavailable (they might have sold through their allotment or there was a delay).

However, as of some time last week, NewEgg.com is listing the Samsung N110-12PBK for $469.99 and it looks like it’s currently shipping, which matches the expected ship dates of the first half of April.

Specifications of the N110-12PBK:
- Intel N270 Atom (1.6GHz)
- 1GB RAM
- 160GB HDD
- 1.3MP Webcam
- Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR
- 6-cell Battery
- Windows XP Home

The Buy.com model was listed as the Samsung NP-N110-KA01US, but it looks to be the same as the N110-12PBK.

Differences over the Samsung NC10 include a glossy display, a larger touch/trackpad, and a higher-capacity 6-cell battery.

Steve Jobs Overseeing Ultraportable Apple / Mac?

With the announcement last month of a major update to Apple’s iPhone OS (version 3.0), a lot more of us began to wonder about whether Apple would be scaling the iPhone’s interface up to something larger, perhaps netbook-sized. Keep in mind that the iPhone is running a scaled-down version of Mac OS X, which runs on the normal Mac product range (MacBooks, etc.). The iPhone update included the fabled copy-and-paste, more support for landscape mode in various applications, increased Spotlight functionality, increased functionality/access for the internal mapping functions/hardware, and official access to 3rd party hardware accessories, and a lot more, all of which would be handy/necessary for something slightly larger.

AppleInsider is reporting on a Wall Street Journal article as well as some past rumors/information that even while Steve Jobs is working from home after taking a medical break from Apple, he’s still overseeing a lot of the major projects currently in progress at Apple, including a device from Apple that is “smaller than its current laptop computers but bigger than the iPhone or iPod Touch”.

Back in October of last year, Jobs made some interesting comments about netbook-sized Macs:

“As we look at the netbook category, that’s a nascent category. As best as we can tell, there’s not a lot of them being sold. You know, one of our entrants into that category if you will is the iPhone, for browsing the Internet, and doing email and all the other things that a netbook lets you do. And being connected via the cellular network wherever you are, an iPhone is a pretty good solution for that, and it fits in your pocket.

“But we’ll wait and see how that nascent category evolves, and we have got some pretty interesting ideas if it does evolve…”

A few months later, in January of this year, during Apple’s first quarter 2009 financial results conference call, Tim Cook, who is filling in for Jobs, had the following to say:

“We’re watching that space, but right now from our point of view, the products in there are principally based on hardware that’s much less powerful than we think customers want, software technology that is not good, cramped keyboards, small displays…. We don’t think people will be pleased with those products. It’s a category we watch, we’ve got some ideas here, but right now we think the products are inferior and will not provide an experience to customers they’re happy with.”

Since that time, there have been some major developments in “that space” that Apple woudl be watching. The market will soon have the NVIDIA Ion platform which provides the kind of hardware acceleration and performance Apple would want in an ultraportable device (and which would closely match the NVIDIA hardware already present in the MacBook and Mac mini line, simplifying some development costs/issues).

You also have AT&T, Apple’s partner with the iPhone in the US, offering a wide range of subsidized netbooks with 3G/mobile broadband packages. Finally, you have low-cost netbooks/ultraportable laptops that are selling incredibly well and gaining mainstream acceptance from both the public and brick-and-mortar retailers such as Office Depot and Best Buy.

The Wall Street Journal article mentions that Jobs was heavily involved in laying out iPhone OS 3.0, and Apple Insider mentions that there have been reports of Apple ordering 10-inch touchscreen displays. The price on touchscreen displays in the 9-inch and 10-inch range should be dropping this year, as devices such as the 8.9-inch touchscreen/convertible Asus Eee PC T91 Touch are produced.

Read:
- Wall Street Journal
via AppleInsider

Site Updates, etc. - April 13, 2009

If you’re wondering why there haven’t been any updates in the past week, I’ve been doing a lot of work on the back-end of the site, as well as a new design. It’s something that should have been done earlier this year, and it’s now almost finished. The layout is going to be cleaned up, along with a major overhaul of how data about the various laptops is presented.

Most of that should be rolled out later this week, and there shouldn’t be any downtime. If you notice anything weird, just refresh the page, as some older data maybe cached.

I also took the chance to switch ISPs at my house from Time Warner Cable to another broadband provider. I had been considering it for a while, and when Time Warner Cable announced their ridiculous caps/tiers, that was the final straw. The caps/tiers are so low they could only be targeting the growing market for watching video over the internet (Hulu.com, Netflix, iTunes Music Store, etc.). Even though they backed off in my area (Central Texas) as far as testing these tiers/caps (and are possibly raising them), they’ve made it clear they are going to be pushing them out at some point in the future. They even publicly admitted that they felt that if they could push them out in Austin, Texas, they could push them out anywhere. I did have a chance to attend an Austin Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission meeting where several citizens spoke out against the tiers/caps. I’ll be writing a lot more about this later this week - I’m still shocked at how ridiculously low Time Warner Cable set the average tiers/caps. In the meantime, check out StopTheCap.com - they are doing a great job of keeping up on the status of Time Warner Cable’s moves and how this is all playing out.

Asus Eee PC T91 Touch Shows Up at the FCC

There is some good news if you’re in the US and have been waiting to buy one of the first mainstream “convertible” Tablet PC/Touchscreen netbooks. The Asus Eee PC T91 Touch has made it’s appearance at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). That means it might start showing up for pre-orders later this month or next.

The Eee PC T91 is a touchscreen “convertible” - the screen can pivot, allowing it to lay flush against the keyboard and to be used as a Tablet PC, or it can be rotated into a position resembling a traditional laptop/notebook, with a normal keyboard (well normal = 92% or so, given the 8.9-inch display size). It’s possible that it will be the first of its type to be available in the US without the need to go through a 3rd-party importer.

While details about the T91 have been sparse in regards to plans for North America prior to now, it was believed that the T91 would be available sometime in the second quarter of this year. At this time, there’s not much in the FCC database though - just some photos and the FCC ID listing (MSQT91NE785H if you are curious).

About a month ago, Samsun Hu, who manages Asustek’s Asus Eee PC business unit, mentioned that Asustek believes that convertible/Tablet PC Eee PCs will account for up to 10% of the their Eee PC shipments this year.

Read:
- Full FCC Listing
via Netbook 3G (French) (English Translation)

Windows XP Available Through 2010 for New PCs?

AppleInsider claims that a source at Hewlett-Packard has told them that Microsoft has agreed to allow Windows XP as an option on new PCs/laptops through at least April 30, 2010. They reference an internal memo/email discussing Microsoft’s plans in regards to XP and Windows 7 even though, as the memo points out, mainstream support for Windows XP Professional ends this month (April 14th). Currently Windows XP Pro and Windows XP Tablet PC are bundled as restore options (or “XP downgrade”) for Windows Vista licenses on new PCs. That is supposed to expire July 31, unless they reach an agreement with Microsoft.

They also mention a Computerworld article from a few months ago discussing how important downgrade rights would be, even with Windows 7 alleviating many of the issues that people had with Windows Vista.

Windows XP Home is still sold on various laptops/ultraportables in the “netbook” range from all of the mainstream manufacturers, due to performance issues with Windows Vista. Windows 7 addresses many of the performance issues, and that wasn’t mentioned. Ideally, at least as far as Microsoft is concerned, many of the manufacturers would switch to Windows 7 after OEM versions become available. Right now Microsoft is having to sell Windows XP Home at a heavy discount, and it is depressing their revenue/profit. Windows 7 on these devices would be a huge revenue boost for Microsoft, however if they price it too high, thereby taking away a part of the appeal of these devices (low pricing), manufacturers might push back and either install Windows XP Home or some form of Linux.

Read:
- AppleInsider
- Computerworld

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