Windows-based EeePC cheaper than Linux one (APCMag) [LWN.net]

Windows-based EeePC cheaper than Linux one (APCMag)

Posted May 7, 2008 19:36 UTC (Wed) by kripkenstein (subscriber, #43281)
Parent article: Windows-based EeePC cheaper than Linux one (APCMag)

My (completely unfounded) theory is this: Originally Asus wanted the Windows and Linux
versions to cost the same (why? No good reason that I can see, but they wanted that). So, to
offset the Windows (and Works) licenses, Asus gave the Linux version an extra 8GB storage,
which means it has almost twice as much as the Windows version.

Then (according to my completely unfounded theory), Microsoft decided enough was enough with
this 'Linux' thing being installed on mini-notebooks, and dropped the price of Windows
licenses for the Eee to an affordable... $1, or thereabouts, making it cost about the same as
Xandros on the Linux version. Since the hardware remains the same (too late to change it,
SKUs, blah blah), the result is that the Windows version now costs less, with its smaller
storage.

The average consumer might not notice the difference between 12 GB and 20 GB SSDs, even though
one is almost double the size of the other. At least, assuming they use the Eee mainly for web
browsing and that sort of thing. In that case, voilà, Windows machines are cheaper than Linux
ones. It's almost as if Microsoft planned it that way.

Note: This comically (tragically?) ridiculous state of affairs appears to occur only in
Australia, in other areas the Linux and Windows versions appear to be equally priced. For now,
at least.

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Cost of Windows XP license and cost of extra storage

Posted May 9, 2008 0:36 UTC (Fri) by pjm (subscriber, #2080) [Link]

A forbes.com article (end of first page and beginning of second) describes the operating system choice as follows:

Asustek decided that the Windows operating system was out of the question. The licensing costs would have been the most expensive part of the computer. So it decided to use Linux and build its own user interface, and that became the most time-consuming part of the project.

[They spend a lot of time on the user interface even though that means slipping the release date.]

Meanwhile, the prospect of millions of new PC users buying the Eee PC without Windows seemed to worry Microsoft. Just before the launch, it agreed to give Eee PC buyers the option of getting Windows for under $40 [USD, i.e. “under ~AU$42”], more than a third off the standard price.

That seems to match with what the first commenter said about the difference between 12GB and 20GB being around $100. More precisely, it's a question of the difference between a 8GB and 16GB SSD, assuming that wikipedia's reporting of a reghardware.co.uk article is correct about the storage being divided into two SSD devices of which one is 4GB. I've conflicting information about how much more 16GB costs than 8GB; some sources suggest that it's only about AU$50.