On Mon, Jan 24, 2011 at 9:19 PM, jtd jtd@mtnl.net.in wrote:
Logical error. You dont dvelop a model without os. You simply sell whatever model without OS. The reason they dont do it is because M$ signs deals that subsidises ads, and M$ products very very heavily, while charging for every machine shipped. ASUS was forced to stop the EEPC cause M$ showed them the agreement fine print (stick) and plenty of carrots.
You need to develop that product because:
1. Without OS, remote diagnostic tools wont work and they would have to pay for two-way shipping for diagnosis (or dispatch a tech). This adds to cost. BIOS of such models is much more exhaustive. E.g. BIOS has HDD diagnostics tools/network diag tools. 2. Tech Support is hard to script. With OS, most problems can be solved by "Restore factory image" 3. They lose revenue from "Crapplets". Every trial version (E.g. 90 days subscription for anti virus) means revenue for Dell/HP.
Thats why when you buy laptops without OS (available for enterprise, typically order of few thousand Units) these cost more. That is even when tech support is handled by Organization's IT.
-Shamit