Starter Edition
To conclude, we asked Dodd about Windows 7 Starter Edition - a scaled down, lower priced version of Windows 7 designed specifically for the netbook market.
"When the ASUS EeePC first came out, we didn't have a price-competitive offering," said Dodd. "As a result of feedback - much of it from the UK - we changed that." The result was a resurrection of Windows XP home, the successor to which will be Windows 7 Starter Edition.
We asked what kind of limitations Starter Editions comes with. "We did have a limit on the number of applications it could run at once, but we've removed that," said Dodd. "But it's still limited to the low-end netbook category, with a maximum screen size of 10.2 inches. You also don't get Aeroglass, touchscreen, media centre, etc."
Asked about the UK channel, Dodd said a minimum volume of units needs to be demonstrated, but many UK system builders do qualify for Starter Edition.
To conclude, we asked Dodd what she thought of the threat of open source operating systems, especially Google's Android, in the netbook space. "Many retailers, like PC World, have dumped Linux netbooks from their stores," she said. "And Android is just another version of Linux." Told.
