MSI to launch 3.5G netbook

October 20, 2016

Netbook makers Micro-Star International (MSI) have announced a successor to the popular MSI Wind U90.

The new Wind U120 will incorporate a built-in 3.5G mobile broadband card and run on Microsoft’s Windows XP operating system.

Hardware includes Intel’s Atom N270 processor, 1GB memory, a 10-inch screen, and a 120GB hard drive.

Sold in white or black, the ultra-thin netbook will set users back $500-$600.

Windows XP has been chosen because the return rate for systems with Linux installed is four times higher than for those with XP installed.

To counter this issue, MSI is working on a version of Linux that will ‘look and feel’ like Mac OSX.

MSI believes the U120, to be released before the end of this year, will push its yearly unit shipments above the 500,000 mark, and possible above 600,000 if it is able to get telecoms operators on board.

In Taiwan, MSI teamed up with telecoms provider Vibo Telecom to offer a bundled Wind U90 alongside mobile broadband.

MSI is in negotiations with European operators to secure similar deals.

MSI has also denied rumours that it will follow Asus’s lead of releasing a touch-screen netbook next year, saying that costs are too high.