June 3rd, 2009
Microsoft may rename 'netbooks' to longer, less catchy term
Just when you were getting used to the term “netbook,” Microsoft comes in and changes it all up. And, if you liked the one-word term, and thought it was as cute as the little laptop it describes, then you’ll love the new term that Microsoft has cooked up in its Catchy Name Labs. Introducing the “low cost small notebook PC.” Brilliant!
What is Microsoft thinking? According to Digitimes, Steven Guggenheimer, general manager of the Application Platform & Development Marketing Division at Microsoft, has this all worked out.
Guggenheimer pointed out on June 2 in Taipei during Computex 2009 that since some of the mini-notebooks already feature capabilities more than just purely Internet browsing –- which is the main purpose of the netbook — therefore the term netbook should be abandoned.
But, why the change? It might have something to do with the fact that the netbook’s current definition doesn’t cover every characteristic that Microsoft wants — namely, a more expensive version of Windows 7. According to Electronista, vendors have already been told they can only install Windows 7 Starter Edition on notebooks with no more than a 10-inch screen, 1GB of memory, a 250GB hard drive, and a single-core 2GHZ processor. For Microsoft to sell the significantly more costly version of Windows 7 Home Premium, they’ll have to change the netbook nomenclature, even if the new low cost small notebook PCs share most of the same features as a netbook.
Nothing is confirmed yet, but we may hear more about the renaming at today’s Computex. What do you think of the new name? Will it catch on? Let us know in the comments below.
And, Doug Aamoth of CrunchGear put it best:
Hey Guggenheimer, on behalf of technology bloggers everywhere, give it up. We’re not going to type out “low cost small notebook PC” when “netbook” has done just fine, thank you. Just because your abnormally long name is eclipsed only by your ridiculously long title doesn’t mean you need to drag us all down with you.
Jennifer R. Bergen is a journalist and blogger living in New York City. See her full profile and disclosure of her industry affiliations.
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