Asus will sell the Windows XP model of its Eee PC 900 for a substantially cheaper price than its Linux counterpart in Australia.
At a Sydney launch event for the much-anticipated Eee PC 900 model, local product manager Albert Liang revealed that the XP model would sell for $599 in Australia, while the Linux model would cost $649. To cover the licence cost associated with Windows XP Home & Microsoft Works — which replace a custom version of the Xandros Linux distribution and OpenOffice — the XP model has just 12GB of storage, while the Linux version has 20GB, Australian site APC reports.
The Eee PC 900 will go on sale in Australia at the end of May. Adding to the impression that Linux is now the poor cousin, the XP version will be sold through "selected retailers" while the Linux machine will be available through "computer resellers".
"People are asking for the familiar and compatible Windows interface that they've used in the past," said Keith Holtham, the account manager for Asus at Microsoft Australia.
While the presence of Linux clearly hasn't been a barrier to consumers buying the notebook to date, Asus appears keener to promote the presence of XP on the new range than to expand the Linux market.
