Netbooks Open Door to Windows Alternatives

As netbooks surge in popularity, open-source Linux-based operating systems have established a toehold on the low-cost, stripped-down computers as an alternative to Microsoft Corp's Windows. Although analysts say no more than 15 to 20 percent of netbooks are running Linux platforms such as Ubuntu, the growing demand for the devices has jolted Microsoft, whose Windows Vista operating system was too bulky to run on many netbooks.
The first netbooks to emerge in 2007, such as Asustek's Eee PC, ran Linux. Microsoft quickly recovered by making its older Windows XP operating system available on netbooks, where it is now the dominant platform. The average consumer is still more comfortable with the ease and familiarity of the Windows experience. But the contest may still be in the early innings. The expected release of laptops running Google Inc's Linux-based Android operating system - which many including Microsoft are predicting - would inject fresh competition into the market. Moreover, analysts say equipment makers have an interest in helping to nurture a Windows alternative to help them save on licensing fees.
Forrester Vice President J.P. Gownder said that although Microsoft's platform now rules the netbook segment, it was initially embarrassed when the devices began to sell without Vista. "It is the first crack in any of the armor at all," Gownder said. The software giant is tailoring a version of its forthcoming Windows 7 operating system for the devices, and the early word so far has been positive, analysts say. However Chris Kenyon, director of business development at Canonical, said that light, portable, Web-centric netbooks are the "sweet spot" for the Ubuntu operating system, which Canonical sponsors. "We've seen the biggest manufacturers in the world establish and push non-Windows operating systems and have seen it established as a mainline product." Kenyon expects there to be "many times" more pre-installs of Ubuntu this year than last. PC heavyweights such as Hewlett-Packard Co, Dell Inc and Lenovo all offer netbooks with Linux-based platforms, as well as Windows versions.
Jay Pinkert, a Dell spokesman, said Ubuntu allows the company to appeal to the open-source community, and also offer a product at a lower price point. Linux operating systems are free to license - Canonical makes money through support and upgrades for Ubuntu - while Microsoft receives as much as $60 for its netbook version of XP, analysts say. "As long as customers find value in having an Ubuntu option we'll continue to have it in the mix," Pinkert said.
Netbooks are expected to be one of the only PC segments showing strength in 2009, with analysts estimating global shipments of anywhere from 20-to-30 million in 2009. Although no one predicts an end to Windows dominance any time soon, some do see some opportunity for Linux netbooks in emerging markets, where cost is the overriding concern. And others see potential for emerging open-source operating systems on netbooks. "The big move to Linux will come when Android comes out on the netbook platform... That's what's really going to open up Linux," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. He said netbooks are perfect for so-called "cloud-based" computing - with applications hosted on networks rather than on PCs - and that the Android platform, if designed well, could find some traction. Android is used on smartphones like HTC Corp's G1, but is being designed to support all kinds of connected devices. Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney was skeptical that anything can seriously dent Windows' supremacy, but said Android's emergence would make things interesting. "If Google got in with Android that would be a good statement, Dulaney said. "It would give Google a placeholder in a market that may grow from bottom up." Microsoft in January partly blamed netbooks for weaker-than-expected quarterly profits. The company makes only half as much on its netbook software as it does for a standard notebook, analysts estimate. Microsoft expects to ship a low-end Windows 7 f

Windows 7 might just change Microsoft’s luck

Let us cut to the chase. Will the next iteration of Microsoft’s dominant operating system be any good? After spending a couple of weeks playing around with the beta version of the software, our verdict is that yes, it will be. But why? Windows Vista was a marketing and public relations disaster.

Vista, which was code-named Longhorn , was delayed by over a year and many people who bought machines with the Vista Capable logo on it were horrified to see that Windows Vista barely managed to work on their hardware when they upgraded from Windows XP.

It must be understood that Vista was the first operating system the Redmond-based behemoth launched after the advent of social media blogs, MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, Digg and the like. Technology blogs and websites took no time in shredding Vista.

But the fact is, if you have a new computer (with dual-core processor and at least two gigabytes of memory), and not a Netbook, Vista works quite well. The integrated search function on Vista is brilliant if you, like most people, have files spread all across your computer.

Source: sify

Nvidia aims at top Netbooks, Windows 7

Nvidia is working with top-10 PC makers to bring its graphics chips for the first time to Netbooks, according to an executive at the company. And an important part of this push is getting its silicon working with Windows 7, a more Netbook-friendly operating system than Vista.
Nvidia Ion

This week, Nvidia released Windows 7 beta drivers for the “Ion” Netbook silicon that it’s handing over to customers. In conjunction, Nvidia demonstrated in Taiwan this week applications running on Windows 7. Nvidia also announced that its Ion platform has been certified on Windows Vista.

The Ion chipset is based on Nvidia’s GeForce 9400M graphics chipset, which currently handles graphics tasks in Apple’s MacBook line.

The goal is to replace the Intel silicon that supports the Atom processor and make a Netbook perform more like a typical laptop. Currently, Netbooks from companies such as Acer, Asus, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell use the Atom with an accompanying Intel chipset.

“Why would you buy a small notebook and not expect it to do what a PC can do?” Dan Vivoli, Nvidia senior vice president, said in a phone interview Thursday.

Intel, in fact, took a small step in that direction this month. The chipmaker upped the ante by shipping a new Atom N280 processor and chipset that for first time on an Intel-based Atom system can run 720p high-definition video. Graphics silicon that can handle 720p video is considered a minimum requirement for larger mainstream laptops.

Nvidia, as the world’s largest graphics chip supplier, believes, not surprisingly, that minimal graphics is not good enough.

“I remember back in 1998 when Intel came out with their 740 (graphics chip), there was this worry that no one would want to buy anything more than that,” Vivoli said. “Of course, that didn’t happen.”

The 740 eventually faded as graphics chips from 3dfx, ATI Technologies, and Nvidia bested it in the marketplace.

All companies tend to exaggerate the prospects of a new product–and Nvidia is no exception. But there seems to be more at stake than usual because getting Nvidia graphics into small devices–where its graphics have historically been almost completely absent–is imperative for its growth.

“In all the years I’ve been here I’ve never seen a product generate more excitement than Ion. At Microsoft, at Apple. Everybody we expose it to says we had no idea you could get this kind of experience on a platform this small and this inexpensive,” Vivoli said.

“Big names that you would know are working on Ion designs,” Vivoli said. “These are top-5 and top-10 companies,” Vivoli said. He expects products by midyear.

In Nvidia’s fourth-quarter earnings conference call on Tuesday, CEO Jen-Hsun Huang was more circumspect. Though he claimed that Nvidia had Ion notebook projects happening all over the world, “a lot of this depends on the success of our customers and these platforms. There’s still a lot execution between now and then. And lots of unknowns,” he said.

Also, on the same call, a financial analyst brought up the point that Netbook makers are not marketing the devices for 3D gaming and added that 3D graphics is not a feature that consumers care a lot about on a Netbook. Huang countered that anything people want to do on a typical laptop, they want to do on a Netbook.

Source: cnet