I just finished reading an article in a trade magazine. It seems the market for ULCPC's (ultra low cost pc's) is on the increase. Basically stated, folks are finding a use for a cheap ($200-300.00) PC that does everything the average user needs it to do: email, web browsing, word processing, playing music, watching video, etc. Granted, these are usually purchased as 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th machines, but the point is that the trend for ever-increasing power and speed seems to be slowing in favor of an adequate machine that can do what it's asked to do without all the bells and whistles. (My theory is that with the release of Vista and it's accompanying hardware requirements, most folks are finally saying “enough is enough”, but I digress……….)
What I found interesting was the title of the article: “Microsoft targets low-cost PC market”. It seems Microsoft kind of missed the boat on this rapidly growing market while they were busy putting the final polish on Vista. Now that they have seen many of the big names (HP, Dell) going with Linux on these devices to reduce cost and development time, Microsoft has to play catch up. This can be evidenced by the recently announced extension of XP Home availability for OEM installation on ULCPC devices until 2010. Vista is way too bloated and resource hungry to run on this new generation of devices.
Microsoft's COO stated recently that they are “still evaluating which type of hardware will eventually be the most popular in this market segment”. Think about that; this is the first time in recent memory that the operating system manufacturer from Redmond is not in a position to dictate the hardware requirements to the consumer. They actually have to either pare down what they already have or develop something new that is lean enough to work on these devices.
Maybe the “powers that be” at Microsoft will take all this to heart. Maybe they will take the lessons they are learning from the Vista backlash and start with a clean slate. Maybe they will realize that the average consumer does not want to purchase a new high-end PC every 3 years just so they can run the latest version of Windows. Maybe they will finally understand that enterprises don't want to deal with the application compatibility issues that arise with every new version of the OS. Maybe the average consumer will become comfortable with their cheap little ULCPC's and realize they don't need an expensive operating system just to read their email and shop on Amazon.
I know what you're thinking: “Todd is a Microsoft basher”. (It's true, but it's my blog so I can write anything I want!) Seriously though, I really do not wish Microsoft any ill will. Without Windows and the other products from Redmond, I would not have a job. Even more frightening is a scenario where Windows falls out of favor and Linux becomes the 800 pound gorilla that everybody loves to hate. Yikes!