Why netbook buyers want Windows

Stephen Withers
Thursday, 04 June 2009 13:15

Opinion and Analysis

From the 'he would say that, wouldn't he?' department: a Microsoft executive says people want Windows on their netbooks.

Steve Guggenheimer, corporate vice president of Microsoft's OEM division says people are choosing netbooks with Windows "Because Windows makes life simple. It's easier to use, just works out of the box with people's stuff, and ultimately offers more choice."

To a certain extent, I agree with him - but you have to look at the wording carefully.

Here's an important snippet from Microsoft's press release on the matter: "Guggenheimer points to the evolution of small notebook PCs (often referred to as netbook PCs)".

This ties in with something I've been saying for some time. If you think of a netbook as a small notebook, then yes - you probably will want it to run the same operating system as your other computer(s).

That could be Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux - but there's more chance that it will be Windows than anything else.

"Consumers really do want small notebook PCs to work like their laptops and desktops. Windows provides a familiar and easy-to-use experience that consumers want and demand from these devices," said Guggenheimer.

Is that the real story? Please read on.