One of these days is none of these days - English proverb
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Linux Foundation suggests netbooks will be free
THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of the Linux Foundation, Jim Zemlin, told an industry forum in Beijing on Monday that mobile telcos should give away netbooks running Linux in order to profit from multi-year subscriptions and application stores.
Zemlin said Chinese companies can extend the strategy of heavily discounting cellphones to netbooks, which are often less expensive than some high-end smartphones and have been dropping in price ever since they were introduced.
Mobile carriers including AT&T in the US offer smartphones like the Apple Iphone at steep discounts, which they more than offset by selling subscribers multi-year service contracts. China Mobile has already announced similar mobile phone plans.
Zemlin suggested that the low cost of Linux operating systems compared to Microsoft Windows could make netbooks running Linux more attractive for service providers.
Telcos could also profit by setting up application stores for netbooks like those available for smartphones, he said.
Zemlin said that competition among vendors and mobile service providers could make netbooks far less expensive over time and that using Linux to cut software costs down to virtually nothing would only help to accelerate that trend.
"In less than a year, I predict that the new cost of a netbook will be zero," he ventured.
Although Microsoft may have twisted the arms of netbook makers in Taiwan during Computex, the Linux Foundation has gone to the Chinese mainland to twist the Vole's tail in response. µ
L'Inq
Linux World
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Free - just more advertizing gibberish.
I do wonder how much they make you pay up front on these deals (and shipping and handling also can offset the cost of a mass produced item). No doubt the hardware will also be sub par (or rapidly get that way in 6 months).
Funny idea of "free" these GPL addicts have. Just call it subsidised and tell the truth for once, because as sure as I'm posting this for lack of anything better to do, you'll end up paying for it one way or another.
It's a bit like the telcos' idea of unlimited.
I remember when I switched from Windows to Linux a few years ago. Windows is LITERALLY addictive, but not because it's better. Between all the hype Windows puts out and you silly dumbasses claiming it sucks, it's no wonder it only has 1% market share.
Simple fact is, people like to belong to a crowd. If the community continually disses their purchasing decision, they might decide it's easier to go with an inferior product in order to fit.
That is the whole crux of the matter, no matter how much bs people put out.
For what? For an Internet connection with a 5 GB cap per month?
Hang on, this has been going on for ages. What is it, the Linux numpties have only just noticed? The Carphone Whorehouse and O2, and all the rest of been doing it for ages. And some nice bits of kit like those nifty Samsung NC10's etc. Can't remember seeing any Linux ones, but last time was plenty of Windows and even some Mac's on offer. But then again these machines are being sold to Joe I'm as dumb as the table they are sitting on, who can't even twig on that they are getting there wallets emptied dry by the stupid contracts.
Guess these lot were on about the US though...there strange ass phone system pricing is crazy anyhow.
This won't work. Firstly, why would you pay for anything on Linux? Secondly, people who can't afford a real laptop are not going to signup for some $100/month data plan with an ultra low transfer limit and slow wireless data speeds. I hate cell phones and I hate mobile technology because I am spoiled on things that actually work correctly, computers. Netbooks are embedded devices just like cell phones.
With the great track record of those Linux seers, it'll probably coincide with the "Year of Linux."
The simple fact is that Linux is not that easy to use, and the helping fanboys take a newbie immediately into the console. That won't fly! Return rates of Linux based netbooks were many times higher than Windows versions, causing most suppliers to shift their emphasis. As long as they keep focusing new distributions on flash and dazzle instead of ease of use, they will never break the Microsoft strangle hold. Think usability labs and newbies. They might gain more ground. But for netbooks the war is long settled.
The telco's never see any profit from this market if the chip inside in the netbook is powered with the evil (intel) company.