Microsoft to Refine Netbook Definition to Manufacturers.. And Charge More for Not Being Small Enough?

      by Wyatt Walter

Ugh. Microsoft is at it again. Reportedly, Microsoft is going to put some sharper restrictions around rules on what they define as a netbook and charge different prices for netbooks and non-netbook laptops. They plan on charging slightly less “Windows Tax” (yes, Windows tax, not Apple tax as they liked to call the extra price associated with purchasing an Apple.. somehow we let them help us forget that just a couple short years ago one couldn’t buy a prebuilt PC without Windows on it) for a “netbook” than for a “laptop”. Whatever the heck that means. Perhaps later they can tell us what “cloud computing” means.. Anyway, they plan on bumping the size restriction on the term “netbook” down to a maximum of 10.6 inches from 12.1 before.

I’m certainly not going to pay slightly more for an OS on a laptop just because it’s 11 inches instead of 10.6. That’s crazy talk. However, I’m certainly not going to go and purchase a laptop (excuse me, “netbook”) with a smaller screen just to save a few dollars. No, I’m going to purchase what I need to get my job done. Good economy, bad economy, okay economy, whatever.. People and businesses purchase computers as tools to make their jobs easier.

Forcing people into an upgrade, of course, is an old trick for Microsoft, but let’s be serious. Let’s call anything with a mobile processor like the Intel Atom a netbook and call it good. I can just hear the conversation at my next meeting: “Oops, we have to move the projector closer to the wall. My laptop only came with Windows 7 Ultimate 4′ Edition and the projector is causing my screen to show at least 5′ across on the wall”. Call me a fanboy or whatever you want, just give me Linux or Mac OS X where they don’t charge me more just because the stupid screen is slightly bigger than some arbitrary size. What’s next? Is my hard drive too big? Too much memory? Too many bookmarks in IE?

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Filed under News : Comments (0) : May 27th, 2009

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