THE ultra-low-cost computing category has caught Microsoft’s interest. The company is enabling these devices to leverage on the benefits of a Windows experience.

Microsoft Malaysia’s director, Windows client business group K.T. Ng says both customers and partners have called for Windows on this new class of devices.

While originally intended for students and first-time PC customers in emerging markets, Microsoft is now seeing interest in such devices in developed countries as well, he adds.

“Consumers, both in mature and emerging markets, are interested in low-cost companions to their primary Windows-based PCs, and are buying for themselves and their children. There is also strong interest in these devices within the public sector such as government agencies and schools.... So, we are enthusiastic about this (product) category because it enables us to bring the benefits of Windows to more customers.”

Earlier, Microsoft had announced the extension period of Windows XP Home for ultra-low-cost PCs until June 30, 2010, or one year after general availability of the next version of Windows.

While Windows Vista provides many benefits, including an easier and more secure user experience, Ng points out that Windows XP Home offers an effective solution on ultra-low-cost PCs from a performance and cost perspective.

“The Windows experience makes it easy for existing PC customers to use these new devices, and it makes these devices easy to learn for customers new to computing. Also, our partners already know how to build and support systems powered by the Windows platform.”

Ng also highlights a number of steps that Microsoft is taking to enable partners to support this growing class of computering devices. These include publishing formal design guidelines to the Web to enable manufacturers to build Windows-based, flash-based machines with even greater hardware limitations (for example, under four-gigabyte flash-based storage).

“We believe these guidelines will enable PC makers to build more reliable, low-cost and easy-to-maintain PCs for customers.” – By Chandra Devi