Linux Netbooks Return Rate Quadruple Windows XP Netbooks

Low-cost Netbooks are all the rage these days, but a lot of consumers are showing dissatisfaction with the Linux operating systems that come on many of the lowest-priced netbooks. Apparently, consumers return Netbooks with Linux more than four times as often as Netbooks that have Windows XP pre-installed.

Everyone wants to save money these days, but when they finally start using them a lot of consumers start wondering where the familiar start menu and desktop have gone. This isn’t too surprising to me. Earlier this year Ross Rubin from NPD Group told me that he thinks Linux-powered notebooks are for geeks

Joanna Stern, of Laptop Magazine interviewed Andy Tung, MSI’s Director of U.S. Sales, who said the following:

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

Check out the full interview at LaptopMag