Fri 4 Apr 2008
There is no doubt that ultra low-cost PCs (ULCPCs) are on the rise. UMPCs (ultra mobile PCs) are already available for a while, but they were much too expensive to become mainstream. Asus proved that it is possible to combine ultra mobility with low costs. But why not Vista? RAM is cheap. Shouldn’t Vista run as well on a ULCPC?
A friend of mine bought an Asus EeePC recently. After a week or so she tried to get rid of the Linux on it and install Windows. So that is the reason for this announcement. Microsoft also wants a piece of this new market. Be prepared that it is only a matter of time until you have to manage ULCPCs in your organization. To carry a full-blown PC in your briefcase without even noticing its weight is absolutely cool. As soon as these gadgets are below $300 everyone will want one.
Why doesn’t Microsoft try to convince its partners to sell Vista on ULCPCs? Well, if you saw the video above, then you know why. It doesn’t even run properly on expensive UMPCs.
According to Microsoft’s announcement, Windows XP for ULCPCs will be available until June 30, 2010, or one year after general availability of Windows 7. I don’t know if we can conclude from this that Windows 7 will come out on June 30, 2009. But I do know that Windows XP will be our companion for quite some time.I am quite impressed by Microsoft’s unbroken optimism regarding Vista. Michael Dix, General Manager of Windows Client Product Management, states in this press release:
We are very proud of the progress that we have made with Windows Vista over the last sixteen months. Since its launch, Windows Vista has become the fastest-selling operating system in Microsoft history, and more than 100 million Windows Vista licenses have been sold worldwide.
So Vista is the fastest-selling operating system in Microsoft history. It’s kinda funny that Microsoft does not get tired of repeating this claim, even though everyone knows meanwhile that sold licenses don’t correspond to installations. Most people bought those licenses because they wanted Windows XP. Hence, these sold licenses and also this announcement only shed a light on the tremendous success of XP. It is really a pity because I like Vista. I hoped I will never be forced again to buy a new PC with XP. But I already know now that I will get weak as soon as an Asus EeePC with Windows XP shows up in the local stores.
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WinFLP would do a better job on these ultraportables, I’ve ran it in some pretty crappy, ram-deficient machines, for example: a P3-800, with 128M and it performed admirably…
I think MS is overlooking that market segment, the UCOPC (Ultra-Crappy Old PC) platform.
I am not sure if WinFLP is really an option for those modern UMPCs. For example, you need advanced networking features (Wi-Fi, 3G, Blutooth etc.) on them. Besides, the point is that an UMPC is a full-blown PC, i.e. it has no limitations. So you can run every kind for app that works on a desktop or on a laptop. How about games on a WinFLP machine?
I wouldn’t say they neglected UCOPCs (I like that term
) I mean they released WinFLP just two years ago. I think they neglected the market for UMPCs. That’s why they have to extend the availability of Windows XP. The success of the Asus eeEPC shows that there is a lot of money to make with ultraportable computers.
Maybe this market is even more interesting than the one for smart phones. My (wild) guess is that Microsoft will solve this problem with Windows 7. Thanks to advanced componentization it will probably run on every kind of hardware. Maybe even on Pocket PCs.
@Michael:
I’ve ran WinFLP on my machine for about a week or so, I was troubleshooting and did not want my Vista install fubared. DirectX 9 games worked fine (WoW and a couple others) and my USB bluetooth adapter worked without problems…
One “catch” with WinFLP is: If you do not do a complete install, DirectX ends up broken.
I do agree with you that W7, like Vista, will bring more native support for more “exotic” hardware and technologies, but I would not hesitate to run WinFLP on a lower-powered PC that oculdn’t handle Vista…
Just when Vista is running nicely and I have the kinks worked out, here comes W7 and yet another format at Beta 1.
Now, I’m off to the bar (To work, then drink )
Leonardo, that’s interesting. I wasn’t aware that WinFLP supports these relatively modern technologies. I just read that its capabilities are limited, especially when it comes to gaming.
Think XPlite with SP2, but official Microsoft release and further stripped.
I have just downloaded WinFLP from the MS licensing site and will try it this weekend. No problem downloading the core WinFLP iso, but there are 5 language packs. Can anybody point me in the right direction of what languages each pack includes? Cant seem to find it with google…
I use Windows FLP, and I replaced my from-the-green-box-with-the-folder-that-slides-off-your-lap-while-typing-a-pesky-product-key XP Home Edition with this. It works perfectly, except it came with much less bloat, like pictures of flowers and a horrible image editor.