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Hands-On With the Windows XP-Based Asus Eee PC
MojoKid writes "Though the Asus Eee PC Windows XP variant isn't due out until sometime in April, HotHardware was able to get their hands on a full retail bundle before they hit store shelves in the US. The standard assortment of accoutrements is included in the bundle, along with a couple of notable upgrades. Asus took the initiative to provide an additional 4GB SD card from Adata, a healthy storage expansion for the system. In addition, an Asus-branded optical mouse was thrown in for good measure. Microsoft's Windows Live messenger, photo gallery and email suite are pre-installed on the the machine for collaborative and social networking capability, in addition to Microsoft Works for word processing, spreadsheets, and calendar functionality."
I guess if you drag your knuckles....
"Be light, stinging, insolent and melancholy"
News like this has to be a real slap in the face to Microsoft with the tireless Vista promotion, when XP is still big news.
... but I guarantee you that Hell, Gates, Ballmer & Co. is still laughing all the way to the bank.
A slap in the face to the marketing and software development departments, perhaps
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
Well, seeing how both Windows Mobile and CE aren't as well known and would put the EEE as more of an "internet tablet" then a real computer, and how there is no way to get Vista on those things to run well without increasing the price by 100% or more, I don't see any other choice of how MS can get Windows on those things and there is no way MS is going to want to let Linux trample all over the low-end market.
There is no "disagree" moderation, and troll, flamebait and overrated are not valid substitutes
Considering how popular these little machines seem to become, Microsoft surely has plans. I would think something like this:
*Freshen up XP a bit with some new theme and some gadgets.
*Give it a new flashy name.
*Then practically give it away to the manufacturers of these machines.
Rather that, then to let linux machines get a foothold in the consumer market.
I think the main issue here is that Asus shifted its target market with the more expensive EEE. With the 7" low-end models, the EEE was the cheapest laptop, so if you had only $250 to spend, it was the only (new) option. The small size was just a bonus*. However, once the price approaches $500 or so, it has to compete with all the cheapo 14" laptops*. Whether one choses smaller size over performance and features depends, of course, on individual needs.
*- at least for some people who are looking for just a laptop, not specifically an ultraportable.
The cost of supporting Xandros is zero. ASUS basically outsourced the support to community-based forums (such as http://www.eeeuser.com/). How much cheaper can you go?
"But I would argue that 90% of the people who bought this machine would have been better served by buying a $399 Acer 14" notebook during a sale at Best Buy.
Argue away, but everyone that I know with an Eee PC already had a laptop, and wanted a small computer instead of a 5 to 7 pound brick to haul around.
Everyone of us is over 50 and we have no problem with the so called "tiny" screen.
Many young people today seem to think that bigger is better, when it's clearly not.
If it don't GO... chrome it. ~ Frank Banks
I would need XP because it's an ultraportable that out of the box could run all my work applications, connect to my work's outlook, and I'd be able to move around more easily to troubleshoot stuff using company-standardized software. I get to use most of my existing windows programs (as far as it's possible because the processor) some of them I've paid-for because I liked them enough. So it really depends on what does any individual user intending to do with it.
Imagine a non-tech person wants to browse the web, use it as an ebook of sorts to read RSS feeds (which your average user can do with TOO much trouble), watch youtube and just haul it around the house more like an electronic magazine than a computer. S/he would probably pick something that already knows how to use so all they need to figure out is how to hook it to the net and get going. While not insurmountable, the Linux learning curve would be slightly higher for this type of users and they make up for a larger market than the computer-savvy.
Heck, I might even get the XP version just because of what I said above and then dual boot or run DSL on it :D
+Raider of the lost BBS
They have to compete, since obviously Asus has no problems releasing Linux only.
I am sure other PC manufacturers are watching, and may try to market properly speced and functioning Linux offering even if only to get out of idiotic exclusivity agreements with MS (which they should not have signed in the first place).
Ladies and gents, maybe this time the year for Linux in the desktop has really arrived, thanks to a company that saw the bleeding obvious: the differential in price between Linux and Windows. This year of economic downturn will concentrate the minds of a lot of people that will wonder why they should keep paying for more expensive, buggier, standards shy software.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.