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Intel cajoles Microsoft to limit netbook screen size

Give them an inch...
Tuesday, 26 May 2009, 14:19

IF RUMOUR is to be believed, Intel is up to its dirty tricks again, this time by way of a pact with Microsoft to secure a 10.2 inch screen size maximum for netbooks sporting Windows 7, leaving poor old Via and its 11-inch and above segment out in the cold.

The Vole had previously said it would offer its cheap netbook version of Windows 7 on any little lappy up to 12.1 inches screen size, but the gossip geeks in Taiwan's ODM notebook makers say Intel persuaded the software giant to change its mind.

What the move means in practice is that netbooks bigger than the specified 10.2-inches won't be eligible for the lowest Windows 7 licensing rates, meaning firms like Via - which don't restrict vendors' spec choices - and OEMs making 11.6-inch Atom Zxx-based netbook product lines will have to cough up more cash for a heavier version of the OS.

This, in turn, will ensure that Intel clings on to its 10-inch netbooks price advantage whilst kicking the 11-inch and above netbooks segment where it hurts. Of course, it's also in Intel's interest to make netbooks as small and basic as possible, with Chipzilla desperately seeking to limit any further cannibalization of the market for its faster chips that get bunged into more expensive notebooks.

How much of a price difference the move will make is not yet certain as the Vole has yet to announce the price tags on its Windows 7 SKUs. But if recent statements by Dell's director of product management for business clients, Darrel Ward, are to be believed, Windows 7 prices could be even higher than they've been for Vista and XP.

Microsoft's official pricing for Windows 7 is expected to emerge in a couple of weeks. µ

 

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Comments
More work for the EU...

Neelie!!!!
Where are you, Intel and M$ are doign it again....forcing crap on consumers!!!
They never learn!!!
Hit them where it hurts, ban them from the EU, that will teach them :-)

posted by : Bas, 26 May 2009 Complain about this comment
I hope this backfires

I hope this comes back to bite MS and Intel where it hurts, their greedy wallets. I don't know who lies and back stabs more, big corporations or politicians?
Long live Linux

posted by : Regulas, 26 May 2009 Complain about this comment
I wonder why they give in

Why do MS give in every time?

MS let Intel force it to mark lower-end hardware as Vista capable. This was, IMO, one of the biggest reasons behind frustrated consumers.

posted by : ssj4Gogeta, 26 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Re: I hope this backfires

I don't know who lies and back stabs more, big corporations or politicians?
That's the beauty of the American system-- they're interchangeable. When their guy is in power, all the corporate bigwigs run off to Washington to be appointed Undersecretary of Commerce for Somethingorother. When the other guy wins, it's back to the boardroom. Everybody wins! Oh, except for us regular schmucks.

posted by : Oboma, 26 May 2009 Complain about this comment
VISTA SP2 RELEASED....5 Lang Only....

If You Diligently Loaded ALL those Langiage Packs, You'll Have to Wait, Todays VISTA SP2 here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=a4dd31d5-f907-4406-9012-a5c3199ea2b3&DisplayLang=en

Its For 5 Lang standalone only. its 32 bit, theres 64 bit, too in 5 Lang. If You have ALL those Other Language Updates, You Can Uninstall Them Before Above SP2 Install.Or Wait for ALL Lang Link to work Correctly, from Microsoft or Seek Third parties Download of All Language Vista SP2, If thats Even possible.

posted by : vondrashek, 26 May 2009 Complain about this comment
@Obama

You are so right, glad I live in Europe where politicians are public property and not owned by companies.
A lot of them already went to prison because companies tried to bribe them.
Remember Willy Claes (ex Secretary of Nato! [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Claes[/url])

Over here they are punished for crimes, when will Bush be jailed for his war-crimes?

posted by : Bas, 26 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Enter ARM and Linux

ARM based linux (or android) netbooks could be the game changer here. Low power long battery life, cheap to make, and quiet.

Intel's only way to battle this would be an extreme low power chip of its own, but they'd have to give it away.

posted by : paratwa, 26 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Intel ... tsk tsk tsk

C'mon bordatwork, don't be shy... tell us exactly how you feel... Let me tell you though, the only time Linux is going to really be popular is when they get rid of that command line and let the gui handle everything. Of course, that doesn't stop having another version for developers.

posted by : Wilfred, 26 May 2009 Complain about this comment
And let me tell you Wilfred...

...Go try Moblin 2. The Intel backed Linux based distro that is expressly made for their netbook platform.

I doubt you will be singing the same tune.

posted by : aussiebear, 26 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Good move

What a brilliant winning move by a company that is hoping to overturn the hefty fine they just had imposed on them by the European anti-trust authorities.

posted by : Jude Suszko, 27 May 2009 Complain about this comment
A nasty duopoly

These 2 companies stifle any competition.
Via seems to give end users better
performance & options than Intel, why in
a country that boasts about freedom do we
see this sort of unpleasant control?

posted by : Sug, 27 May 2009 Complain about this comment
It's GRRRR-ATE!

They will paint themselves into a corner.

The big advantage Windows has is games but you can't play demanding games on netbooks anyway so you may as well go with Linux & ARM or some as yet unknown CPU.

posted by : Ugly American, 27 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Rumors

Let's wait until the rumo(u)r is substantiated or not before passing judgement.

posted by : BB, 28 May 2009 Complain about this comment
is this really that bad?

I mean, I know they shouldn't be limiting hardware like this but is this really going to have a severe impact on netbooks? Sure intels protecting their product line but what self serving company wouldn't?

Everyone likes to paint intel as the bad guy and I don't think they deserve that bad rap. AMD/ARM/nVidia/anyone would exploit their advantage if they were given it. They would be stupid if they didn't.

posted by : viscountalpha, 28 May 2009 Complain about this comment
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