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ASUS EeePC 1101HA: Why are two monopolies allowed to dictate what a netbook is
allowed to be like?
http://www.linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2009-08-14-029-35-RV-HW
ASUS EeePC 1101HA
,----[ Quote ]
| It's no secret that Intel and Microsoft have a firm grip on what a netbook
| may or may not use in terms of features and parts; hence the many look-alikes
| in this pervasive category. But there are a handful of them that are
| considered exceptions to the rules handed down by Wintel.
`----
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2351310,00.asp
5 Netbooks Microsoft Has Crushed
,----[ Quote ]
| Think most netbooks have single-core processors, 1GB of RAM, and a 160GB hard
| drive because their manufacturers like conformity? Right. The reality --
| never officially acknowledged -- is that Microsoft doesn't cheaply license
| its operating systems to netbooks with specs that are too good (see the
| limitations at TechARP). The result, as evidenced by the looming retirement
| of Dell's Mini 12, is tiny netbooks with lesser hardware than full-sized
| laptops.
|
| A handful of laptops, including the Mini 12, have broken the mold, but they
| all pay the price in some way. Here's a list of naughty netbooks that
| Microsoft is crushing with its hardware limitations...
`----
http://www.pcworld.com/article/169919/5_netbooks_microsoft_has_crushed.html
Recent:
Microsoft and Intel want to limit Netbook screens to 10.2 inches
,----[ Quote ]
| There is collaboration, and there is collusion. According to Digitimes,
| Microsoft and Intel have reached an agreement that the next generation of
| Netbooks will not have displays larger than 10.2 inches. Vendors that insist
| on making minilaptops with larger LCDs will not be eligible for the lower
| Windows 7 volume licensing rates for these machines.
`----
http://asia.cnet.com/crave/2009/08/03/microsoft-and-intel-uses-windows-7-to-squeeze-laptop-screen-sizes-080329/
http://www.digitimes.com/NewRegister/join.asp?view=Article&DATEPUBLISH=2009/5/26&PAGES=PD&SEQ=211
Microsoft aims Windows Embedded at smartbooks
,----[ Quote ]
| The pint-sized âWindows Embeddedâ OS is set to join its desktop and
| smartphone cousins in Microsoftâs war against âlittle Linuxâ distros such as
| Android and Mobilin.
|
| [...]
|
| Many of these run on ARM and MIPS processors instead of Intelâs x86-based
| silicon, and all of them favour Linux as their OS of choice.
`----
http://apcmag.com/microsoft-aims-windows-embedded-at-smartbooks.htm
ARM-based netbooks set to arrive on US shores by year end
,----[ Quote ]
| New rumors peg the long-awaited arrival of ARM-based netbooks, often
| called "smartbooks," for the final quarter of this year. They probably won't
| dethrone Atom, but they will give the platform a taste of what it did to the
| laptop.
`----
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2009/08/arm-based-netbooks-set-to-arrive-on-us-shores-by-year-end.ars
Microsoft and the great netbook price-fixing scam of 2009
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft is colluding with netbook hardware vendors to deny customer choice
| and protect profits
|
| [...]
|
| Now we're hearing that Microsoft is about to weigh in on the matter. The
| company already muddied the netbook hardware waters when it set forth its
| byzantine "maximum hardware requirements" for netbooks running Windows XP
| Home. And with Windows 7 just around the corner, the company is reportedly
| preparing an updated set of parameters. In a nutshell, the acceptable netbook
| screen size is decreasing (from 12.1 inches to 10.2 inches), the acceptable
| storage capacity is increasing (from a 32GB solid-state drive or 160GB hard
| disk drive to 64GB SSD/250GB HDD), and restrictions on touch and other
| Windows 7-centric features are being lifted.
`----
http://www.infoworld.com/d/windows/microsoft-and-great-netbook-price-fixing-scam-2009-520
Related:
Microsoft to limit capabilities of cheap laptops
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft plans to offer PC makers steep discounts on Windows XP Home Edition
| to encourage them to use that OS instead of Linux on ultra low-cost PCs
| (ULPCs). To be eligible, however, the PC vendors that make ULPCs must limit
| screen sizes to 10.2 inches and hard drives to 80G bytes, and they cannot
| offer touch-screen PCs.
|
| The program is outlined in confidential documents that Microsoft sent to PC
| makers last month, and which were obtained by IDG News Service. The goal
| apparently is to limit the hardware capabilities of ULPCs so that they don't
| eat into the market for mainstream PCs running Windows Vista, something both
| Microsoft and the PC vendors would want to avoid.
|
| [...]
|
| Microsoft notes that the OSes under consideration for the devices include
| Windows and Linux. Some PC makers have expressed a preference for Linux
| because it helps them keep down the cost of the devices.
|
| [...]
|
| By offering Windows XP Home Edition at bargain prices, Microsoft hopes to
| secure its place in the ULPC market and reduce the use of Linux, according to
| an official at one PC maker, who asked not to be identified because he was
| not authorized to discuss the program.
|
| "[Low-cost PC makers] have made some good inroads with open-source, and
| Microsoft wants to put a stop to it," the official said.
|
| The official did not seem opposed to the program. It should stimulate more
| competition between Windows and Linux in the ULPC market, and it could
| invigorate sales because consumers who want an easy-to-use PC are likely to
| prefer Windows, the official said.
`----
http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=D04AB1F8-17A4-0F78-310F5F4479DEEE86
More evidence of Microsoft "tying up" the Asus EeePC
,----[ Quote ]
| Then, one of the makers of Netbooks will release a fantastic product using
| the paid Ubuntu/Netbook Remix, which will make us all forget about the EeePC
| â or, maybe weâll remember it as one of the makers which used GNU/Linux in
| order to launch a product, and then gave in to Microsoftâs pressure.
|
| The real question is: will the next maker manage to resist Microsoftâs
| pressure? Or will everybody end up closely tied up with Microsoft?
`----
http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/columns/more_evidence_microsoft_tying_up_the_asus_eeepc
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