PC Makers Move Closer to a Post-Windows World

"Today, evidence is mounting that Microsoft's dominance in computing isn't what it used to be. It's not just the Windows Vista flop and those damning commercials, either: Apple's Mac OS is gradually taking share from Windows; and HP and Dell, the world's largest PC makers, are investing in bigger homegrown software teams to do work they once left to Microsoft. Look at the high-growth computing markets for smartphones and low-cost mini-laptops, and the shift is even more striking; the most popular smartphones from Research in Motion and Apple of course don't run Windows, and more than 35% of today's mini-laptops run a non-Windows operating system.

"Consider the Linux-based version of the HP Mini 1000. The product itself is no threat to Windows; HP says it plans to price it just $20 below the Windows XP version, which isn’t nearly cheap enough to make it worth giving up compatibility with Windows programs. But more significant is the signal the product sends -- that HP doesn’t need Microsoft quite so much anymore."

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