Linux Netbooks Are Returned 4X More Than Win XP Versions

[greggh]

http://gizmodo.com/5058953/linux-netboo ... s-says-msi

Linux Netbooks Are Returned 4X More Than Win XP Versions, Says MSI

Netbooks were supposed to be this great inroad for Linux development, but it turns out that the XP side of the netbook business is doing a lot better in the area of customer satisfaction: MSI today told Laptop that, according to internal studies, "The return rate is at least four times higher for Linux netbooks than Windows XP netbooks."

Lest you think I've somehow chopped this figure and embedded it out of context, here's what MSI's US sales director Andy Tung told our friend Joanna at Laptop when she asked about high return rates:

We have done a lot of studies on the return rates and haven’t really talked about it much until now. Our internal research has shown that the return of netbooks is higher than regular notebooks, but the main cause of that is Linux. People would love to pay $299 or $399 but they don’t know what they get until they open the box. They start playing around with Linux and start realizing that it’s not what they are used to. They don’t want to spend time to learn it so they bring it back to the store. The return rate is at least four times higher for Linux netbooks than Windows XP netbooks.

Well, there you have it. Finally concrete proof that Windows is 4x better than GNU/Linux.

[Claudio]

So GNU/Linux is to blame for the stupidity of the consumer.....classic.

I also call BS on that claim due to the fact that people are able to get used to something different. Case in point: cell phones. If people can adjust to using the interface on their cell phone (which is even more archaic to say the least), why would it be any different with a netbook (or with any computer for that matter)? Hell, the icons are there and show you EXACTLY what the application is for. Mail, IM, Web, etc. I can understand the laziness of the consumer to choose the path of least resistance, but I say that the blame fall squarely on the manufacturer for passing the Vaseline to Microsoft. Shame on you, MSI.

[jturning]

A lot of people are just ignorant. They see the absence of Windows and just return them. It shows that they didn't do much research before they purchased, and they're ignorantly biased towards Windows because that's all they know. With the exception of those that need a particular Windows program to run, most would be much happier with the snappier performance of Linux.

As an example of ignorance at work, how many people needlessly bought 89 and 91 octane gas for years thinking they were making their cars run better. That's just the anti-ping/knock rating (how compressed the fuel can be before spontaneously igniting without spark). Most cars are rated for 87 octane gas, and unless it's excessively pinging, you use 87 octane gas because otherwise you're just wasting your money. You only run the higher octane gas if your engine is higher performance with higher compression, i.e. my sportbike race engine require 91 octane.

So it's not that Linux is inferior, but that people are ignorant. They could probably include a booklet expounding the virtues of the Linux operating system over Windows on the netbook and get a lot of people to keep them. At the very least they'd be able to make a more informed decision.

Bugz

[Linc]

I dunno. I read the article and I call bullshit. I just don't buy any of it as fact. Sounds too much like FUD to me. Just take 5 minutes to search about netbooks and their reviews on the internet and you get a completely different picture.... At least from those people who decided to write about their experiences.

[eddie]

One thing to me is missing is that why did consumers return the units? The linux version came out first, so maybe the early versions had more issues that is not being disclosed here. Also too, maybe four times as many linux units were sold so the return rate might be acceptable on the average. Maybe a lot of husbands got a new toy and the better half said send it back. There are a ton of scenarios here.

[dann]

Hmmmm... That's a shame, but what can we learn from this. According to Andy Tung the Linux Based MSI netbooks were returned because:

They start playing around with Linux and start realizing that it’s not what they are used to. They don’t want to spend time to learn it so they bring it back to the store.

I guess that is to be expected to some extent. Is this a failing of Linux or a failing of the product's design? That's a tough call.

This would require focus groups to determine the answer and I wonder if any were done. A few questions come to mind though:

[*]Do people understand what a netbook is, or are they treating these like cheap laptops
[*]Are they given a simple interface like the Asus eeePc interface or the netbook remix?
[*]What has MSI done to educate the user of the product about the device?

Let's face it, when people fire up a computer they are mostly accustomed to the windows interface. Given a uncommon display they might be hesitant.

Again, is this a failing of linux or a faling of the product's design. Perhaps a bit of both.

[allix]

I would like a similar report on returns of macs....

[LinuxMint-4]

(A coincidence? nah...that never happens...MSI slams Linux and right on the heels they now announce that MSI will be available in Best Buy. I wonder what kind of "deal" MSI made with Microsoft?)

http://gizmodo.com/5059676/msi-wind-now ... t-best-buy

SI has announced that people wishing to get their hands on an MSI Wind U100 Netbook can stroll into their nearest Best Buy starting today and pick up the 10" 3-cell version with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor and Windows XP for $399. Before your rush out to get one though, keep in mind that the updated U120 version with HDSPA could hit before Christmas.

MSI WIND BLOWS INTO BEST BUY

CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA – October 06, 2008 – MSI Computer, a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, is excited to announce the MSI Wind U100 Netbbok is now on sale at Bestbuy locations across the country. The Wind, an acronym for “Wi-Fi Network Device,” was the first 10” netbook to feature the speedy new Intel Atom™ 1.6GHz processor

“We are excited to be able to reach our clients through this new channel,“ said MSI’s Director of U.S. Sales Andy Tung. “By partnering with Best Buy we can introduce more people to the Wind, and meet the needs of the buyers who either don’t want to purchase online or would like to touch and try out our netbook before making a decision.”

Weighing in at just 2.3 lbs, MSI designed the Wind to be lightweight and ultra mobile, without sacrificing convenience or performance. The Wind features an ergonomically designed keyboard that is only 20% smaller than a full sized notebook keyboard, with the keys spaced a comfortable 0.68 inches apart.

[jturning]

Good piece on why people return the Linux versions. Really sad that they choose to limit themselves so severely with XP on these platforms.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2332657,00.asp

Early netbooks ran Linux, which plays well in emerging markets but failed to strike a real chord with consumers here in the U.S. In fact, people who returned some of these first-gen netbooks told me that the main reason was that they thought these were just cheap notebooks. And once they got them home and tried to link them to their printers, digital cameras, and so forth, they were very disappointed with their limited capabilities.

What people wanted was a small notebook with Windows XP so they could run existing software—and more important, it would work with their Windows ecosystem. Sure, there are ways to make Linux netbooks use these types of peripherals, but it's not easy, and people who were mostly Windows users wanted an OS and functionality they were familiar with.

Something interesting also came out of these interviews. In a lot of cases, families had a desktop or laptop on the kitchen counter or in the den that served as a kind of community PC, where everyone in the family could check e-mail and sports scores, get news and weather, and so on. Often kids hog the PC, for MySpace, instant messaging, games, and the like. Quite a few parents told me they bought a netbook to get the kids off the family PC and let them go online in their rooms on their own.

Kids quickly saw that the early Linux netbooks couldn't run their favorite programs and were way too underpowered for what they wanted to do, which included playing PC games as well as doing their homework.

This type of feedback has caused all of the netbook players here in the U.S. to add Windows XP versions, models that are garnering the most attention and starting to take off. And while ASUS and Acer have taken strong positions, Dell, HP, and Lenovo have also realized that there was interest in consumer markets for a product like this and have responded with solid products of their own.

Bugz

[Gomer_X]

I can easily believe that people bought one of these thinking it was just a cheap laptop, got it home and found out it didn't have Windows on it and took it back.

People are just plain stupid. Trying to figure out how to use Linux is more than most people can do. They're just too indoctrinated to the Windows interface.

[jturning]

ASUS says returns about the same for Linux and Windows XP. Maybe they have smarter customers, or it being smaller people are more informed about what they're getting vs. the others that are closer to notebooks. With the larger ones, people are buying them thinking they're cheap notebooks and not really researching what they're getting.

http://blog.laptopmag.com/asus-ceo-reve ... y-products

We have heard that return rates have been higher for Linux-based netbooks. Can you share information on sales of the Linux Eee PCs versus Windows XP versions? What about return rates overall for Eee PC netbooks? I think the return rate for the Eee PCs are low but I believe the Linux and Windows have similar return rates. We really separate the products into different user groups. A lot of users like the Windows XP, but in Europe a lot of people want the Linux option. Actually in Linux we support the Easy Mode and in Q4 of this year we are going to start selling Windows XP with an Easy Mode.

Bugz

[eddie]

I do not have the link still, but the last article i read said that returns were the same between the two. I do know that I went to www.directron.com now they are pushing the acer instead of the eee. $409.
http://www.directron.com/lus410b024.html

[hellonorman]

What if it turns out that it's not really the case that everyone who returns these or rejects linux is ignorant, stupid and indoctrinated?

[greggh]

What if it turns out that it's not really the case that everyone who returns these or rejects linux is ignorant, stupid and indoctrinated?

I'm 100% sure that everyone who rejects GNU/Linux is ignorant, stupid, and indoctrinated.

[allix]

I'm 100% sure that everyone who rejects GNU/Linux is ignorant, stupid, and indoctrinated.

I know someone from my school that says linux is better than windows and osx and yet on his laptop he runs vista.
He is of course not a minority , but it goes to show that linux being technically better does not always win on that merit.