- Photo: Asus
You might think that netbooks are on life support and that Linux netbooks in particular have been dead for awhile now, but Asus is proving otherwise by releasing three new Ubuntu run Eee PC models.
Netbook glory days long over
Remember the glory days of the netbook back in 2008? Asus first introduced its Eee PC in 2007 and thereby founded an entirely new niche of computers called netbooks. People went crazy for these models and nearly every other PC maker, from HP, to Acer, to Dell, introduced their own rival netbook PCs. At this early time, it was also popular for netbooks to be loaded with Linux operating systems instead of Windows, primarily because the difference made the already cheap machines even cheaper.
Linux is back
As time went on, however, the Linux run models became more and more scarce and were largely replaced by Windows netbooks. Fast-forward to today, and even netbooks themselves have become scarce, largely overshadowed by the current tablet craze and in less demand than ever. This negative environment hasn’t stopped Asus though from releasing Ubuntu 10.10 versions of its Eee PC 1015PC, Eee PC 1001PXD and 1001PX models.
More user-friendly Ubuntu
This version of Ubuntu has been made specifically to run on netbooks and promises an extra user-friendly experience. Indeed, it seems that the lack of user-friendliness has prevented other Ubuntu run machines from going mainstream, so the modified Ubuntu 10.10 could change this. Asus representatives went on further to say that the more ‘lightweight’ Linux OS is much better suited to netbooks than Windows which is a notorious resource hog.
Some skepticism
Whilst contempt for Microsoft’s Windows OS is near universal, and Linux has long been touted as the better option for people who know what they’re doing and want more control over their machines, we can’t help but be skeptical about this new Asus effort. Perhaps the largest problem is that it comes to us too late.
Market not favourable to netbooks
As mentioned, the current climate isn’t at all favourable to netbooks, with tablets like the Apple iPad largely replacing the cheap computers as the second PC of choice. So the Ubuntu Eee PCs aren’t even just competing against Windows anymore, they are also competing against Android and iOS, two operating systems which have already proven their mainstream appeal. It really looks to be a case of too little too late, although Linux fans might be happy with the news when the Asus Eee PC models are released later this year.
