Why Windows is winning on netbooks

. . . keeping an eye on the penguin

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Jan. 28, 2009

Ordinarily, I don't spend much discretionary income on computers. I get enough of 'em at work. But the other day, I actually considered buying a netbook. In the process of doing some shopping, I learned why Windows is outselling Linux.

It's simple. That's what's available.

Netbook vendors know that Windows is a strong brand for many consumers, and so they offer it. And, OEMs are cautious about their own brands. Is Linux mature enough not to tarnish it?

Top netbook OEMs like Acer, Asus, Dell, and Lenovo have long histories of recommending Windows to their customers. Sure, they can improve their margins with Linux, but what are the risks associated with that reward? Is Linux mature enough not to frustrate users? Most of all, how much Linux support will consumers expect? PC vendors already have the burden of supporting Windows. Is taking on support of another OS -- even a better one -- something that's ultimately cost-effective?

I don't think these problems are insurmountable. It helps a lot that Intel -- half of the "Win/tel" duopoly, afterall -- has gotten so solidly behind Linux. Yesterday, Intel released an "alpha" of its second-generation Moblin Linux distro for netbooks, and the thing boots in about five seconds. It also has a network connection utility that looks quite promising. There'll be a beta in the Spring, and a full Moblin 2.0 release timed to steal some thunder from the Windows 7 release, I'm guessing.

As for branding, the Linux Foundation is on the job, with its "We're Linux" video contest. That should be amusing. The Foundation is already taking entries, and some videos are already available for viewing, here. As consumers get more educated with regard to Linux's technical benefits, its branding power may increase, and more might demand it.

So, to those who see the netbook battle as being over, I humbly submit it might be a bit too early to call it "mission accomplished" for Microsoft on Netbooks.

-- Henry Kingman

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Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2010 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.