Yup, I think you read that correctly (if you can see the type). No processor over 2GHz, no screen over 10.2-inches, only 1GB of RAM, at most 250GB of hard drive space.

This is pretty lame. Heard a report on Marketplace yesterday that Netbooks make up 20% of all laptop sales.

This is a pretty clear example of Microsoft's monopoly and the problems that causes. Clearly there is a demand in the market place of the Netbook product class. Clearly it is in the interests of Microsoft and the traditional Laptop OEMs to sell laptops instead of netbooks due of the margins they make.

Microsoft is using its operating system dominance to harm the Netbook market. It is artificially and arbitrarily restricting OEMs from using the low cost versions of Windows except on an extremely small subset of current and future Netbooks. Instead, it requires OEMs use a more expensive version of Windows 7 which will make the current Netbook market price-point impossible.

Should companies be able to decide for themselves the price and usage of their products? Of course, because if their decisions do not satisfy the market someone else can come in and fill that need. The problem is Microsoft is a monopoly and so no one else can easily come in and address the need.

Microsoft's business interests are in direct conflict with the market and the consumers' interests. Due to its size Microsoft will win and we all lose.

I have a fundamental problem with this.

Microsoft Monopoly hurts again.