Microsoft Wants to Call Netbooks Something Else

Just after Intel managed to free the term netbook from Psion for general use, Microsoft appears to be set on calling it something else – the low cost small notebook PC.

Steven Guggenheimer, a general manager at Microsoft, said in Taipei yesterday that the netbooks today are capable of doing much more than browsing the ‘net, so therefore the term should be abandoned.

Besides just throwing a monkey wrench into the segment, Microsoft’s desire to call netbooks “low cost notebook PCs” could stem from the company’s restrictions that it imposed on which machines could run certain versions of Windows.

Guggenheimer is to provide details on the apparent name shift later on, which we’ll bring to you as soon as we know more.

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
  • icepick314
    how about just calling it "cheaptops" or maybe even just calling it "mini laptops" or something like that?

    no need to come up with some elaborate name....netbooks sound good enough....
    Reply
  • 830hobbes
    Laptop Nanos?
    Reply
  • tenor77
    It's a little wordy.
    Maybe you should call it "Low priced, entry level, internet browsing, compact portable computers"
    Reply
  • Wouldn't "Notepad" be the obvious choice?
    Reply
  • starryman
    M$Books. Or BillBooks. Or BalmerBooks. Netbook is just fine.
    Reply
  • WheelsOfConfusion
    Why is MS suddenly interested in dictating not only what hardware can be used, but now what the hardware can be called?
    Reply
  • grieve
    "low cost notebook PCs"

    Microsoft throw the "PC" in there to seperate themselves from apple?

    Call them "IcheapPC"
    Reply
  • AndrewMD
    @ Wheelsofconfusion,

    Because people are used to that from the "APPLE" experience. Also, most complaints about Windows stem from people who run under powered systems or system that were not designed the latest and greatest!
    Reply
  • jhansonxi
    The original netbooks couldn't run Vista or Windows 7 so they increased the specs, price, and size while reducing battery life. Since these new netbooks are basically just renamed notebooks there isn't any reason to call them netbooks anymore. "Windows Fatbooks" makes more sense.
    Reply
  • war2k9
    It should be Zunebook.
    Reply