Microsoft Chutzpah on Full Display in Attempt to Rename Netbook

Techwriter10 0 Tallied Votes 260 Views Share

Ah, Microsoft, that crazy company from Redmond, WA is at again. This time they want to rename the Netbook unilaterally to the...drum roll please..."low cost small notebook PC."

As first reported in the Digitimes last week, Microsoft decided on their own that the name was not appropriate and they were renaming it. I'm fairly sure they didn't consult with the rest of the industry about this change, but hey they're Microsoft right? They can do whatever they please. Of course, it doesn't mean the rest of the world has to go along.

Same Old Song and Dance

I doubt very much that anyone was actually looking for a new name, certainly not Intel, the company selling the chips to power these machines, which actually coined the term. This is after all a hardware issue and the last I looked Microsoft doesn't actually make PCs, but why should that stop them from trying to force an entire industry to bow to their considerable will.

Even if the Netbook industry were looking for a new name, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be from the succinct "Netbook" to the mouthful of "Low cost small notebook PC." Sure, that rolls off the tongue and should make the folks who write the marketing copy very happy.

It's Really About Selling Windows 7

Digitimes reports that Steven Guggenheimer, corporate vice president, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Division, Microsoft said the Netbook name suggests it's only for internet use and these machines can do so much more. On this we can agree, but why change the name? If Netbook sales were anemic maybe one could understand a pitch for a change, but they seem to be doing quite well.

Could it be that Microsoft doesn't trust the hardware manufacturers to name these machines correctly or for the public to understand what they are without being hit over the head? No, as it turns out that's not it at all. What it's about is selling more expensive copies of Windows 7. You see, by creating a new higher end Netbook, they can justify forcing the manufactures to adopt a more expensive version of Windows 7. In the end. this is just a ploy for selling a few more copies of the more expensive version of Windows.

Command and Control

It's moves like this that make Microsoft the target of ridicule. When I first heard about this last week, my reaction was that Microsoft just makes it too easy for bloggers like me. You can't make this stuff up even if it sounds like it came straight from the Onion.

Idiocy, hubris, chutzpah, arrogance? Choose your word. Regardless Microsoft really needs to find a clue. Sure, I get that they are trying to sell more expensive copies of Windows 7 by creating a new category of computers, but this is ridiculous even for Microsoft, a company that seems to continually trip over its own considerable corporate shadow.

GNUguy 0 Newbie Poster

I don't mean to nit pick, Ron, but it's not so much that they can do whatever they please. It's more like they feel they can force consumers to do whatever they (ie, Microsoft) want them to do.

This will work as good as the US gov't trying to discourage the use of the term 'bailout.' It is what it is; ie, a bailout.

So, Microsoft, as much as your suggested new name just rolls off the tongue (even their marketing concepts are goofy), I'll be calling it a "NETBOOK." To be precise, I'm going to call it a "Linux Netbook" because there is no point in trying to run one of your products on a machine with the more limited resources of a "NETBOOK."

Techwriter10 42 Practically a Posting Shark

Hi Paul:
Thanks for the comment and feel free to nit pick. :-)

You're certainly correct. It's about spin whatever angle you want to take on it.

Thanks again for taking the time to read my post and leave a comment.

Ron

jklowden 0 Newbie Poster

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10253210-92.html

You are perhaps unaware that "netbook" was the subject of trademark dispute. Microsoft undoubtedly took the legally precautious approach of avoiding the term. After all, they have nothing to gain by using the term; they don't sell the devices.

Techwriter10 42 Practically a Posting Shark

That might be the case except the link you sent me indicates the dispute was settled. It's an interesting theory, but I think it's pretty clear that this about selling more copies of Windows 7 than it is about being legally prudent.

Thanks for reading and for taking the time to leave a comment.

Ron

Member Avatar for Hansb
Hansb

Excellent, great, that idea to rename these machines!

This is a perfect opportunity to redefine "Netbook" as a machine without a hard disk and primarily meant for internet access, like the original eee-pc.

Hans

Techwriter10 42 Practically a Posting Shark

I'm not so sure I would take it quite that far. There is room for machines with a hard drive in this category, but I would agree that the idea is that you use cloud-based apps for the most part. As someone who owns one and uses it on the road, I can tell you that internet access is sometimes uneven and it would be very inconvenient if didn't have any hard drive.

Thanks for the comment.

Ron

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