It takes a lot to make Microsoft change how it does things, but the netbook/ultra portable laptop market has become so influential that is exactly what it has happened…
In the wake of the Windows 7 launch Microsoft has quietly announced ‘Windows 7 for Netbooks‘, the first download-only legal versions of Windows the company has ever made specifically for installation using a USB memory stick.
“If you’ve got a netbook, you probably don’t have a CD or DVD drive – so you may be wondering how you can upgrade to Windows 7,” says the official product page. “We’ve got your answer. The Microsoft Store is the only place where you can get a downloadable version of Windows 7. Download Windows 7 directly onto a USB drive on your netbook – no CD or DVD drive necessary – and start taking advantage of the best Windows yet.”
Of course, while helpful, there remains a significant fly in the ointment here: the vast majority of netbooks shipping with a Microsoft OS use Windows XP, which cannot be upgraded to Windows 7. So while Microsoft may talk of an ‘upgrade’, in the truest sense this means saving your important data, formatting your hard drive, performing a clean install of Windows 7 and then restoring that data. Not exactly a route for the faint hearted.
Furthermore, despite the lack of packaging and distribution costs, Microsoft is still charging full retail price for the download versions, so there’s little motivation to go this route – especially when a simple USB workaround using a standard Windows edition is so easy.
That said. this is a step in the right direction by Microsoft which simultaneously recognises the importance of the ultra-portable PC market, and also hammers another nail into the coffin of optical media. Both of these are good things.
Gordon
