Netbook Scoop

The introduction of Windows 7 has complicated the choices when purchasing a netbook.  It used to be a simple choice.  Want a netbook with Microsoft Windows?  The only choice was XP Home Edition.

If you look at the today’s netbook offerings, you will find three groups:

• Windows XP Home Edition
• Windows 7 Starter Edition
• Windows 7 Home Premium Edition (of which there are 32 and 64 bit flavors)

Why two different versions of Windows 7?  Price,  of course! 

To understand how this situation developed, here is a short history:

• In the beginning, all netbooks ran on Linux (which costs the manufacturer $0)
• Netbooks got really popular – Microsoft became alarmed
• Microsoft announced a special discount program for XP on netbooks, rumored to be about $25/copy
• Now, most netbooks run on Windows.
• XP’s development costs were already fully absorbed, so discounted price had no impact to Microsoft
• With Windows 7, Microsoft needs to make a profit
• Microsoft develops a crippled version of Windows 7 for netbooks – called “Starter Edition”
• Microsoft is betting that most users will buy an $80 upgrade to a non-crippled version
• Better yet, Microsoft hopes most netbook makers decide to load Windows Home Premium and pass the cost on the the consumer

What features did Microsoft remove from the Starter Edition?  Here is a partial list of some of the more significant shortcomings:

1. Aero Glass, meaning you can only use the “Windows Basic” or other opaque themes. It also means you do not get Taskbar Previews or Aero Peek.
2. Personalization features for changing desktop backgrounds, window colors, or sound schemes.
3. The ability to switch between users without having to log off.
4. Multi-monitor support.
5. DVD playback.
6. Windows Media Center for watching recorded TV or other media.
7. Remote Media Streaming for streaming your music, videos, and recorded TV from your home computer.
8. Domain support for business customers.
9. XP Mode for those that want the ability to run older Windows XP programs on Windows 7.

When Retrevo.com surveyed 1100 users  who were considering purchasing a netbook of these limitations, 56% stated they would not be happy with a netbook with Windows 7 Starter Edition.

Our recommendation is to be prepared to spend an extra $80 on the upgrade – or look seriously at netbooks configured with Windows 7 Home Premium Edition. 

For example, consider these two Acer netbooks.

The first is an Aspire One D250 in a rather standard netbook configuration loaded with Starter Edition.  Today’s best price is $334.99 (the widgets below are dynamic, so it might be different when you read this).

Acer Aspire One D250 10" N270 250GB 6-Cell Win7
	10.1" Display (1024x600), 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, 6-Cell Battery, Microsoft Windows 7 Starter Edition, 2.80 lbs.		Today's Best Deal Ruby Red $324.99 Go!
	Comes in: Diamond Black (AOD250-1842) - from $328.39 Ruby Red (AOD250-1383) - from $324.99 Sapphire Blue (AOD250-1197) - from $328.00 Seashell White (AOD250-1694) - from $327.95

The second is an Aspire AS1410, which could be considered a low-cost ultralight laptop.  It is packaged with Home Premium Edition.  Today’s best price is $422.99.

Acer Aspire AS1410 11.6" SU3500 250GB 6-Cell Win7
	11.6" Display (1366x768), 1.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Solo ULV SU3500 Processor, Intel GMA4500MHD, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Webcam, 802.11b/g/n, HDMI port, 6-Cell Battery, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, 3.10 lbs.		Today's Best Deal Diamond Black $399.95 Go!
	Comes in: Diamond Black (AS1410-8804) - from $399.95 Sapphire Blue (AS1410-8373) - from $427.00

So, the Aspire AS1410 costs $88 more.  But if you purchase the Aspire One D250 and later upgrade the operating system, then the cost differential is only $8.

But look at all the extra features you get for the extra $8:

• bigger display
• bigger keyboard
• faster processor
• more power graphics support (HD-rated)
• extra gigabyte of RAM
• avoid the time and effort of upgrading Windows

I’d pay an extra $8 for those features any day!

For those of you who have already purchased a netbook with Windows 7 Starter Edition, I’d like to know: (a) are you happy? and (b) do you plan to upgrade?

For those of you who plan to purchase a netbook with Windows 7, I’d like to know whether you think you’ll be happy with Starter Edition.

Let me know what you think below.