Several first-tier notebook brand vendors including Lenovo have reportedly been raising their shipment proportions of models without an operating system (OS) to attract consumers, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.
Due to Windows 8 havomg failed to boost consumer demand as expected and notebook prices are seeing difficulties to drop further, some first-tier notebook vendors have decided to increase their supplies for models without an OS to push their shipment performances.
Shipments of notebook models without the Windows operating system have always existed, but the volume was limited due to Microsoft's strong influence in the past.
Notebook models without the Windows 8 are about NT$1,000-2,000 (US$34-67) cheaper than those with the operating system in the retail channel and the gap is expected to attract price-conscious consumer groups.
Lenovo is expected to mainly ship the notebook models to China, where software piracy is still rampant, but the sources believe that the China vendor's strategy may draw its competitors to follow suit and increase their shipments of notebooks without an OS.
Seeing Windows 8 has an unsatisfactory performance, Microsoft is aggressively developing its upcoming Windows Blue, which reportedly will be ready in August.
Source: DigiTimes
