When it comes to Windows netbooks, associated costs can make the device as expensive as a low-end laptop.Take, for instance, the netbook selection sold by AT&T. These range from the $99 Acer Aspire One to the $249 LGX110, but they must be purchased with a two-year data plan.
That data plan will cost $40/month for a mere 200Mb of data access, and $10 per megabyte of over the alotted 200. What can you do with that? Send e-mails, update your Facebook or Twitter status. YouTube or Hulu? Forget about it. A second plan includes 5Gb a month at $60/month. This adds up to over $1,500 for the PC and contract. Not unreasonable — but not $99 either. Add to that the fact that some netbooks only include 60-day trial versions of Microsoft productivity software so add in the costs of software, you get the idea.
Netbooks have been getting a lot of attention lately, and for good reason. This is the first breakthrough in a PC platform since the notebook. Enterprises haven’t yet figured out if the netbook would be a good option for their users, but if these auxillery costs can be minimized, it won’t take long until they do the math and decide that they are. Like other markets, this holds especially true for users who don’t need Windows.
Windows has been strong so far in this market but most market watchers don’t expect this to last. A recent market report asserts that 96% of netbooks sold in Februrary were Windows PCs, not Linux. But in 2008, Windows netbooks accounted for about three-quarters fo the market, with Linux owning one-quarter. There has also been hubbub this week surrounding a report that found that more people return Linux netbooks than Windows Netbooks.
We’ll see how long Windows remains on top of the netbook market. Linux makers are trying to win this market this year. The first wave of netbooks using the ARM processor are expected to hit the market in the second half of 2009, all running a version of Linux, most will be running the Google -backed Android, Canonical’s Ubuntu distro, or even the Intel Corp.-created Moblin netbook OS.
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