This year, Microsoft introduced the operating system Windows 8.1 with Bing, which suggests low royalties, which allows manufacturers to produce low cost laptops on the platform at a price below $ 249. And now it is planning to release a new budget software solution in February 2015.
According to the publication, Microsoft is going to introduce some restrictions on the use of budgetary Windows version . In developed markets, they are able to produce devices available only with a diagonal of 14 inches or less, but in developing countries they are allowed to produce 15-inch model on the budget Windows.
New budget platform will seek to expand the range of available laptops and, accordingly, increased competition with the so-called Chromebooks, laptops available on the cloud platform, Chrome OS. Moreover, the supply of the latter this year is forecast to increase by 100% and a budget solution Microsoft has not yet created any pressure on selling Chromebooks.
Five of the leading brands on the market released by the end of 2014 at least 500,000, and a maximum of 1-1.5 million available laptops. But in general, this year they made the delivery of 4.5 million.
DigiTimes also learned that producers are willing to stop the development and production of touch notebooks. This is due to the fact that demand for laptops with touch screens was much lower than expected. And in the fourth quarter of 2014 manufacturers stop their development.
Sources say that, despite the growing demand for smartphones and tablet computers, the vast majority of laptop users still favor mode the mouse and keyboard. Another limitation of sensory laptops is their higher retail price compared with similar models, but without the touchscreen.
Now laptop manufacturers will install touch screens only in hybrid devices 2-in-1 and ultrabooks, whereas traditional gaming laptops and lose this feature.