Despite rumors that Microsoft won't cheaply license Windows XP to netbooks with dual storage methods, MSI will continue to sell the Wind U-115.
The netbook uses a combination of solid state and hard disc drives to provide lots of storage while boosting battery life. Bit-tech reported last week that Microsoft calls this a no-no in netbooks, and gave MSI until the end of June to take the Wind U-115 off shelves. However, in a statement to NetbookNews.de in Germany, where the Wind U-115 is on sale now, MSI says it will continue selling the model. Sales just began in the United States.
Microsoft reportedly enforces other limitations, such as 1 GB of RAM, 160 GB HDD or 32 GB SSD, along with strict CPU criteria for licensing Windows XP. These rules will change for Windows 7, according to TechArp, but not necessarily for the better. Anything with bigger than a 10.2-inch screen won't qualify, compared to 12.1 inches for Windows XP.
Microsoft previously slashed XP licensing prices for netbooks to avoid losing market share to Linux. Now that Microsoft has a comfortable lead in the netbook OS wars -- 96 percent, by some estimates -- it's drawing boundaries. That's proving difficult as netbooks become more powerful, further resembling full-featured PCs with every new generation.
I understand where Microsoft is coming from. The company is said to make only $15 per netbook, and like other companies in the computer business, it doesn't want netbooks to destroy profits. But Microsoft dug this hole for itself, and now it's got a problem.
Linux-based operating systems such as Ubuntu are becoming more user-friendly. As buyers seek netbooks with better specs, Microsoft could very well start to lose the market share it fought so hard to take.
