It’s not as if nVidia really needs Microsoft’s stamp of approval to go ahead and sell their upcoming Ion-based PCs as people would certainly buy them anyway, but it certainly helps for us to know that they are tested to be certified for Windows Vista. Of course, we can’t exactly trust just because a computer is “certified” for Windows Vista that it’ll be a pleasant experience after previous events involving the system’s specifications. However, the small form factor Ion-based machines showcased in the videos on Hot Hardware are rather impressive (if you’re willing to wait through an annoying ‘online scuba lessons’ ad), playing 1080p HD video fullscreen without any dropframes, running Vista without hiccups, and even playing 3D games with equivalence to a mid-tower, mid-range quality. These little buggers are expected to roll out Summer of 2009, the cheapest of the lot reaching a delicious low of $299.
Well dual core atoms only have Microsoft’s approval for use in desktops, so we won’t seen them in netbooks. So if I were NVidia, I’d certainly want this.
Microsoft doesn’t have to stamp their approval for someone to sell a piece of hardware with Windows on it, as far as I know.
As the article says, the made for Vista crap was largely meaningless anyway.
I really think the platform ceases to have much sense if we’re not going to see it used in netbooks.
Do we have any confirmed word from nVidia about when and how will this platform be used?
perhaps it will power something inbetween a notebook and a netbook…ie a netbook with a decent screen resolution. or small cheap desktops that don’t suck.