Microsoft recently launched a "foray" into cheap laptops and tablets in collaboration with several manufacturers, releasing machines with its operating system that are being sold so affordably for the first time.
Indeed, such new Windows machines, which are cheaper than previous low‑cost models, can be found today even in the Greek market, where 15.6‑inch laptops are already available for around €280 and 8’’ for €160. However, in a few months there will be even more affordable options in all countries, with portable PCs and tablets that will cost even less.
To make affordable devices even more… affordable, Microsoft announced last May the «Windows 8.1 with Bing», a variant of its operating system intended exclusively for manufacturers. Although the amount the American company charges for «Windows 8.1 with Bing» remains confidential, the fact is that they cost less than Windows 8.1 and that this discount is the main reason for the lower price of the devices.
Regarding the features of this particular version, the only difference from the «regular» Windows is that it comes with Microsoft's Bing search engine set as default. A setting that the user can, however, intervene and set the «search engine» they desire.
Thus, the financial models that are already on the store shelves are based on «Windows 8.1 with Bing», while many more are expected by the Christmas period, with some leveraging the advantage provided by this particular version for an even lower price.
For example, Toshiba presented the Iconia Mini, a 7-inch tablet that will be sold at $120 at the IFA exhibition in Berlin in early September, Asus the 11.6-inch portable EeeBook X205 at $199 and Acer the 8-inch Iconia Tab 8W tablet at $150. The first two will also come to Greece within the next quarter and, although their prices have not been announced, they will certainly be cheaper than what is currently on the market.
Naturally, the devices with "Windows 8.1 with Bing" have technical specifications that also keep the cost down. For example, the Iconia Mini comes with a 1024 x 600 pixel resolution display, an Intel Atom processor and of RAM , while the EeeBook X205 has the same CPU, of RAM and a 1,366 x 768 pixel display.
Therefore, although they do not aim to impress with their performance, they can meet the everyday needs of the average user, while having autonomy of 7.3 and 8 hours respectively.
The cheap devices like the ones above are essentially the «answer» from Microsoft to tablets with Android and Chromebooks, the affordable laptops that are released by companies such as Acer, Toshiba, Samsung and HP, and which are based on Google's Chrome OS.
As for tablets, to date Android products have been the only option in the low‑price category. This explains their great popularity in our country as well, where over 70% of sales involve devices under 200 euros.
On the other hand, even though Chromebooks are not officially sold in Greece, they are gaining increasing ground on the other side of the Atlantic among specific buyer categories, such as students and universities. The reason is that many of Chrome OS's functions rely on an Internet connection, resulting in no need for expensive subsystems and the price of laptops ranging from $200-300.
The next generation of Windows
Even though affordable laptops come preinstalled with «Windows 8.1 with Bing», which are based on the latest version of Microsoft's operating system, Microsoft is expected to present in a few days several of the improvements it has in store with Windows 9, the next «generation» of its software. This shows the invitation it sent last week to the American media, for a press conference on September 30 in San Francisco on the topic «the future of Windows», as it notably states.
The invitation confirms the reports from the tech sites The Verge and ZDNet, which as early as last month reported that Microsoft will give a «preview» of Windows 9 at the end of September, presenting a pilot version of its next operating system. This version will be made available to developers immediately after the presentation, while Windows 9 will be released to the general public in spring 2015. The goal of the American company is to give the opportunity to users who wish to try the new features it has developed, as well as the upcoming changes to the graphical environment.
Source: kathimerini.gr
