Microsoft decided to try hand at Entry-level PCs, worth $300-$400. The new project is called Dream PC and will be put into life together with FIC Company. Since the latter is in very friendly relations with VIA Technologies, these PCs will be built with VIA C3 processors.
The first computers from this family based on VIA C3 600MHz CPUs will come out in the end of this month already, as to The Inquirer. Of course, they will work in Windows XP OS.
This way Microsoft is most likely to be trying to get another opportunity to promote its software. That is why the company makes its Dream PC as cheap as possible, though not detrimental, as it happened to X-Box console some time ago, when the guys simply overestimated their powers.
We believe that many users who do not need 2GHz monsters will pay attention to Dream PCs as to low-cost fully-fledged solutions with licensed software. This is especially true for the citizens of developing countries such as China, former Soviet Union countries, Eastern Europe and Latin America, where the per capita income is not that high, although the market develops highly dynamically. It is no secret to you that these are the countries where the unlicensed software is blossoming, so we also suppose Microsoft might be aiming at combating this issue, because the spreading of Dream PCs will definitely reduce the demand for "pirated" Microsoft software. Moreover, taking into account that the alternative Linux operation system is gaining more and more recognition in some regions, we can also assume that this is another way of winning the competition by the Redmond Company.
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