Hey guys. Late as usual to the fray but I just did a bit of well...googling for this os. Personally, I think they will have a very good shot at pulling this off. Now let me say I am not a pc guru though I seem to constantly use one but mostly for web, etc. You know. The average putz user who really does not get into the nuts and bolts of the innards of an OS. I am also unsure about the cloud computing thing.
Here is why I think this may just be quite successful. For years now I have thought that computers, just like colour teles, quickly morphed from an expensive status symbol to a another nuisance that we all cannot seem to do without. Now a pc is way more functional than a tele but you ge the drift. For about 25 years now there has been a roughly $500 "magic window" that most consuemrs are very comfortable with when it comes to electronics. They know that putting any real repair money into them is a waste. You will quickly spend as much as a replacement unit. So they look at them as disposable in a way. If it works for 3-5 years they are happy. It is exactly why the netbook format took off like a shot when most tech gurus were panning them. Consumers see them as a utility device that does a LOT of what they need on a daily basis. A true replacement for PDAs and a great alternative for chunky laptops AND it surfs the web with a VISIBLE screen to boot. My wife has HP netbook with 8.9 screen and she loves it. $299 at BestBuy. It runs XP. If what I am seeing on the web is right, MS just shot themselves in the foot with Win7 and netbooks. Allegedly it is very restrictive in netbook use. This is where a Google Chrome OS or somehing similar could really kick arse. People are just flat out tired of paying for operating systems. I think if MS would have kept a RETAIL price for their OS products under a c note and upgrades at $39 they would never have to worry about Linux again. I really hope that Google or Ubuntu or some Linux distro really makes a big splash for this application. I am telling you, people are tired of paying any real money for a device they see as essentially a souped up cell phone and internet device. Which is how they view most pcs. I am not talking about taking over from MS. There is room for everyone in this market and I think people are closer than ever to viewing(I am not addressing the right or wrong of the debate) OS's just like they do a browser. It had better be DANGED special to get them to pay for it. It is coming to that I think. And in some ways rightly so. It is one thing for MS and Apple to command premium pricing for full fledged work station/application machines. It is quite another to ask that kind of money for someone who uses a device just like they do a PDA. They ain't buying it. Witness the huge influx of sub $500 laptops in the last year. Like I said, I am certainly no prognositicator so take this all with a big grain of salt. I just know what I hear when I talk to coworkers and friends. PCs are just tools to them. Sometimes useful and other times a giant PITA.
Regards, Todd
Actually, Windows XP is a late comer to the netbook scene. They muscled their way into the market share over the last year using money and including manufacturers in future marketing campaigns like for Win 7.
Asus... you really pissed me off
