How AMD evaded Microsoft strict netbook restrictions!!

[ajaidevsingh]

So you all know the huge Microsoft's netbook restrictions well this was on force since last year and a huge thing is that AMD's cheap UMPC is a better overall platform than the NETBOOK platform.

Microsoft seems like a life partner to intel due to their actions on Vista ready Mb's. So i am not surprised that the max Microsoft allows is the max that ATOM platform can work with..

Just think:-

No graphics card above DX9.0 sooo amm what are the GMA 900 and GMA 500 capable of doing ??

So 1gb is max the 945 chip set is generally capable of 2gb max and that means there is an extra slot ram available for the consumer.

Also most of the processors are compatible with 945, etc.



EDIT:- AMD followed the WarGames strategy:
?Strange game. The only winning move is not to play.?

 

[TheStu]

Wait... What?!?

 

[compman25]

So how did AMD evade Microsoft's restrictions?

 

[ArchAngel777]

This post is obviously a riddle and we must decipher it first before we can begin to solve it.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I decrypted his transmission as:

---
AMD followed the WarGames strategy:
?Strange game. The only winning move is not to play.?
---

Which ignores the fact that intel is piling up the cash from netbooks, but the cleartext isn't always going to be accurate or sensible.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Which ignores the fact that intel is piling up the cash from netbooks, but the cleartext isn't always going to be accurate or sensible.

Well, yes Intel profits from netbooks, but they are also worried that some of those sales in reality cannibalized sales of more expensive platforms that they have greater profits on.

As for "Microsoft strict netbook restrictions..." They don't have any restrictions on netbooks. They just have restrictions on what their cut down version of Windows XP can be sold with. Any company can make a "netbook" with whatever specs they want. For instance, Asus makes the N10J. It is kind of a netbook with a 10" screen and weighing 3.5 pounds (that 6 cell battery accounts for some of that). However, it has gigabit ethernet, 320GB HDD and 2GB RAM as well as a discrete GeForce 9300M GS video with 256MB (specs vary). Those specs are unlike more "traditional" netbooks. What also varies is that it is sold with Vista.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Which ignores the fact that intel is piling up the cash from netbooks, but the cleartext isn't always going to be accurate or sensible.

Well, yes Intel profits from netbooks, but they are also worried that some of those sales in reality cannibalized sales of more expensive platforms that they have greater profits on.

As for "Microsoft strict netbook restrictions..." They don't have any restrictions on netbooks. They just have restrictions on what their cut down version of Windows XP can be sold with. Any company can make a "netbook" with whatever specs they want. For instance, Asus makes the N10J. It is kind of a netbook with a 10" screen and weighing 3.5 pounds (that 6 cell battery accounts for some of that). However, it has gigabit ethernet, 320GB HDD and 2GB RAM as well as a discrete GeForce 9300M GS video with 256MB (specs vary). Those specs are unlike more "traditional" netbooks. What also varies is that it is sold with Vista.

I believe there are two things at work here.

A) MS limits ram sold with a system to 1GB or less to be eligable for Windows XP Lite. Other than the ram, I don't think they care about the other stuff. Such as Atom, Screen Resolution etc...

And

B) Intel limits selling its Atom CPU to partners that agree not to put the unit in a netbook with a screen resolution greater than 1024x600. As can be evidently seen by HP when they switched from Via to Intel. They had to shrink the screen down from 1280x800 to 1024x600.

So, with those two restrictions, we rarely see a Netbook sold* with more than 1GB of ram, and if it is, it is required to have Windows Vista and of course, no resolutions greater than 1024x600.

* Can be added later without breaking any licensing.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777
A) MS limits ram sold with a system to 1GB or less to be eligable for Windows XP Lite. Other than the ram, I don't think they care about the other stuff. Such as Atom, Screen Resolution etc...

Microsoft eases hardware terms for XP on low-cost PCs

Under the new terms, outlined in the documents, PC makers must limit screen size to 14.1 in. and hard-drive capacity to 160GB. Ultralow-cost PCs with touch screens will also be eligible. Earlier terms set in April did not allow touch screens at all and limited screen sizes to 10.2 in. and hard-drive capacity to 80GB. The processors are still limited to a single-core chip running at no more than 1 GHz, with memory limited to 1GB of RAM.
...
The documents show that for developed markets, Microsoft charges $32 to install XP Home Edition on standard netbooks and $47 for netbooks with the larger screens. PC makers that meet certain requirements in Microsoft's Market Development Agreement can get a discount of as much as $10 on those prices, the documents show.

 

[ajaidevsingh]

It has already been seen that net books without XP does not sell well as compared to the ones which are running on XP.

Also Vista does not have any sort of a netbook platform the use of Vista on the Asus N10 was not on the bases of a netbook!!

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777
A) MS limits ram sold with a system to 1GB or less to be eligable for Windows XP Lite. Other than the ram, I don't think they care about the other stuff. Such as Atom, Screen Resolution etc...

Microsoft eases hardware terms for XP on low-cost PCs

Under the new terms, outlined in the documents, PC makers must limit screen size to 14.1 in. and hard-drive capacity to 160GB. Ultralow-cost PCs with touch screens will also be eligible. Earlier terms set in April did not allow touch screens at all and limited screen sizes to 10.2 in. and hard-drive capacity to 80GB. The processors are still limited to a single-core chip running at no more than 1 GHz, with memory limited to 1GB of RAM.
...
The documents show that for developed markets, Microsoft charges $32 to install XP Home Edition on standard netbooks and $47 for netbooks with the larger screens. PC makers that meet certain requirements in Microsoft's Market Development Agreement can get a discount of as much as $10 on those prices, the documents show.

This doesn't seem right as Atom is 1.6Ghz.

Anyway, I think Windows XP Lite is a bargain at those prices.