Asus and Microsoft working an Eee-targeted version of Windows 7?

March 05th, 2008 | Category: Laptops

So now that the nine-inch Eee is officially available with Windows XP pre-installed, folks are wondering the obvious — why XP and not Vista, since XP is being discontinued in June and Vista can kinda-sorta be made to run on an Eee? The reply, direct from Microsoft, is both obvious and a little surprising: Given the Eee’s “other requirements,” Asus and Microsoft “couldn’t go the Vista route,” presumably considering the Eee doesn’t really have the horsepower for it. certain, but what caught our interest was that Microsoft is “in shut discussions with Asus [regarding]

how to take that forward… in regards to the Windows 7 Europe timeframe.” Windows 7, you’ll recall, has that lean new kernel, which would presumably produce building a stripped-down version specifically for Eee-class machines easier — but the final we heard, Windows 7 wasn’t due until at least mid-2009 (and possibly not until 2011), so either Microsoft is planning to continue shipping XP after June or Windows 7 is coming much earlier than we thought. Our money is on XP continuing to soldier on, but here’s hoping.

[Thanks, Omar]

Original post by Nilay Patel

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