Microsoft Puts Limits on Windows 7 Netbook Specs
According to several reports, Microsoft plans to limit which netbooks can run Windows 7 and which can’t with a list of maximum hardware specs for little machines running the OS.
Microsoft has set limitations for netbooks to ensure Windows 7 netbooks will stay as cheap, low end laptops. Unfortunately, the specs laid out on TechARP don’t exactly leave room for netbook technology to progress.
With netbooks becoming increasingly popular with students and casual computer users choosing netbooks over actual notebooks and expecting them to fill the shoes of a regular notebook, there had been hope we’d see the little notebooks grow a little with Windows 7. That’s looking less likely with these limits:
*Screens cannot exceed 10.2 inches
*Maximum 1 GB of RAM
*Maximum 250 GB HDD or 64 SSD
*CPU must not exceed 2 GHz, and have a CPU thermal design power that is less than or equal to 15 W, not including the graphics and chipset.
So how 'bout it, would you shell out the extra cash for an ultraportable notebook? Before we knew anything of the Windows 7 specs limits we were already feeling confined by the ones for XP. Now we're even more tempted to buy the more expensive option. Then again, that's exactly what Microsoft wants with this, so go figure.
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Those are specs for this year's netbooks, I think. I don't really know much about netbooks but have seen many out of those specs (display size).
Probably late this year netbooks will have 2GB RAM (not all but some) and next year HD limit will be gone too. As to CPU I don't think it will be a problem - not GHz or TDP.
With all the DRM/malware firewall bypassing I've been reading about I think I'm going to opt out of future version of windows.
Netbook = linux
Faster and easier to use on small computers. Does every task you would want to do on a netbook and its free.
I agree, in most cases (not all but most) Linux is better suited for netbooks.
I think the limitations should be on screen size, weight and whether it has a CD/DVD/Blu Ray drive and other peripherals that aren't needed in a "net"book. Webapps are increasingly using more CPU, RAM and power now though.
Ridiculous Microsoft idea.
Sounds to me like Microsoft are holding Intel's hand. again.
Maybe one of these days Microsoft will deliver a truly marvellous operating system which remains silently working in the background doing it's job without the childish pop-ups with annoying and stupid facts about what it's doing, like the ones telling you, you have unused icons and the like.
It may take some competitor to do something amazing so that MS is galvanised into action and copies what they've done as we all know that they haven't had an original idea in their collective heads for years.
Windows 14 maybe, and at a quarter of the price as the only reason they are such a big Co is because of their monopoly which allows them to TAX the pc user.