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New Software for New Solutions
As low-cost laptop sales in developing countries
heat up, the discussion of appropriate
operating system software has gotten louder. Some recent press reports
say Linux may not be the answer because users find
it
hard to use and Asus, the segment leader,
believes that Eee PCs with Windows XP preloaded will
account for
2/3 of all sales worldwide.
Others argue that using Linux
operating systems enables manufacturers to offer a
full software suite at a dramatically
reduced purchase price and that
Windows Vista won’t work on the stripped-down
hardware configurations of the low-cost laptops.
Microsoft, which has opted to continue to make
Windows XP available to hardware vendors beyond its
original retirement date, has so far stuck to its revised
June 2008 deadline to end all Windows XP sales
- making this a critical issue for low-cost laptop
manufacturers.
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Most industry watchers would agree that the
emerging low-cost laptop segment is gaining traction
because of its "purpose-built"
approach. Rather than creating lower-performing
versions of existing models, manufacturers, which many
say were inspired by the One Laptop Per
Child Initiative, created entirely new solutions.
This disruptive technology was not over-loaded with
bells and whistles – as many engineering
achievements are –
but instead focused on a few core requirements
and delivered “just enough” functionality. To date,
the software industry has focused less on a
purpose-built approach for emerging markets and more on identifying which
existing software suites fit the hardware
requirements.
Business leaders developing strategies for
low-cost laptops in emerging markets would do well
to put aside the debate over Open Source versus
proprietary software and instead focus on the
modifications that suit both the platform and the
target markets. The recent success of new laptop
characteristics such as low-cost, low-power,
ruggedized laptops demonstrates that solutions
designed specifically for the unique requirements of
rapidly expanding emerging markets are
needed and valued by users. The opportunity for the
software industry is to build or modify operating
systems that both address the
features and functionality desired by developing-country users
and operate efficiently on low-cost
laptops.
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