Is Microsoft begging for a new antitrust investigation?

Thinning of laptop offers without OS.

[jetteroheller]

I am watching the market of notebooks offered without Windows in the German area since April 2016.
The same hardware is typical 130 EUR cheaper without Windows preinstalled.

I purchased May 2016 an Acer ES1-331-C0YK for 269 EUR
I purchased November 2016 an Acer ES1-331-P498 for 299 EUR

In January 2017 had been at economic 13" notebooks all major brands like Asus, Acer, hp, Lenovo listed

Suddenly in April 2017 all this offers disappeared.

I wrote special Acer Austria, they told me the Acer ES1-331 series is finished and the successor ES1-332 series will be delivered only with Windows preinstalled.

It seems Microsoft is begging for a new antitrust investigation and some hundred million EUR penalty.

[robzilla]

Isn't it up to Acer to decide whether they ship their laptops with Windows preinstalled or not?

[jetteroheller]

Why should Acer give up a good business? The online shop where I ordered both told me, they have sold 1500 of this type, they had about 30 different models without windows. And this was only one from about 10 major online stores.

Why should all major brands decide at the same time stopping to offer economic 13" -14" laptops without Windows?

At the Windows 10 update terror, many people in different forums posted "I do not change to Win 10, I change to Linux". So it could be a reaction of MS to stopp the migration as good as possible.

[engine]

I wonder how much demand there is for laptops with no OS?

[jetteroheller]

Just right now maybe only 5% of the market.
But this can change over the years.

Remember, 2002 was MSIE at 85%, now at 5% market share.

Imagine a law for price shields:

Hardware 269 EUR
Windows 10 130 EUR
Linux 0 EUR

When simple users realize, that Linux Ubuntu is by far more simple to use, polite and user friendly than Windows, it would be a disaster for Microsoft.

[tangor]

More importantly, why are you looking at ACER, which chose to go with an MS OS when you could look at OTHER economical hardware with no OS installed?

There's no antitrust in this. You've got the option to check out the competition. More likely the econo hardware without OS was not selling well and the makers looked around and made a decision. (NOTE, those same makers also offer Linix installs, you just have to look for them)

[keyplyr]

jetteroheller - this is not unique. All hardware manufacturers maked deals with software companies. It's how they all share in the pie.

As tangor said, if you want to circumvent that, buy a bare-bones computer (without any preinstalled software or OS) and put what you want on it.

I've been doing that for years.

[jetteroheller]

> More importantly, why are you looking at ACER, which chose to go with an MS OS
> when you could look at OTHER economical hardware with no OS installed?

What OTHER? There had been offers from Acer, Asus, Lenovo and hp without OS.

I simply do not find any econmic sub 320 EUR 13-14" notebook any more.
Please make links to OTHER.

[jetteroheller]

> As tangor said, if you want to circumvent that, buy a bare-bones computer
> (without any preinstalled software or OS) and put what you want on it.

Please show me a link to a bare-bone notebook with 6 W DTP CPU and 13-14" display.

[keyplyr]

Bare-bones machines are built for you with your specs usually from a local shop. You may find some online, but sorry, I don't know of a source.

[engine]

I found some laptop computers online with a search. Of course, it depends on getting a computer locally so you can get the appropriate warranty.

[jetteroheller]

Great, really great. I do not know a source, You do not know a source.
When we all do not know a source, maybe we have to purchase a laptop with Windows 10 preinstalled, because there is no other known offer.

[jetteroheller]

> I found some laptop computers online with a search.
> Of course, it depends on getting a computer locally so you can get the appropriate warranty.

Less than 320 EUR with 4 GB RAM 500 GB HD, 13-14" display, 6 W TDP quadcore CPU and articles to find, that Ubuntu 16.04 is easy to install on them?

I have found also some offers at AliExpress. They have unlicensed Windows on it, so Microsoft sees not a Cent from this. But are there any problems installing Ubuntu on it?

I know now also some small vendors in Europe and US, who purchase this Chinese laptops and sell it with Linux on it. I am since a week in a forum of one of this newcomers to see all the service nightmares happening.

Last year, I searched Google for "Acer ES1-331 Ubuntu" and found much material, than I went to a brick and mortar store purchased the Acer ES1-331-C0YK, went into my car and installed Ubuntu.

This is now impossible. The barriers had dramatic increased.