A Second Wind for MSI this November: Integrated 3.5G and XP

Media reports suggest that the next version of MSI’s Wind netbook could be just around the corner, packing integrated 3.5G and running Windows XP.

Since day one, netbooks have been seen as a lightweight computer for lightweight work, best suited to those who travel a lot and students. Indeed netbooks are popular among university students and, with more brands than you could shake a stick at, prospective customers are spoiled for choice. However, with so many manufacturers already in the game, companies are always looking for something that will set them apart from the competition — and if rumors are true, MSI’s new Wind will definitely stick out in a crowd.

Reports on the blogosphere suggest that MSI’s new netbook, the Wind U120 will be all business. According to Fudzilla, the new U120 will feature either a 120GB hard drive or 20/40GB SSD, which will come at a later date, with the business side of the U120 being it’s connectivity. Reports suggest an 802.11n Wi-Fi and built-in 3.5G modem that will accept a SIM card. It will also pack Intel’s Atom processor (of course), 1GB of RAM and run on Windows XP.

MSI’s decision to market the next Wind as a business netbook could be quite lucrative. Netbooks are popular among young people in its variety of different colors, which is likely to put off business users. While the design of the U120 doesn’t look all that different to the U100 (it just looks a bit more serious), there’s no doubt that pitching the netbook as the perfect tool for a business man or woman will put them on the radar of any Blackberry owner. That’s said, there is of course there’s an array of netbooks perfectly suited to business users but we guess that’s the beauty of marketing.

Director of U.S. Sales at MSI, Andy Tung, told LaptopMag that the company thinks the U100 is too cute for business users and said the U120 was more of a ThinkPad design.

“The difference will be in the customer segment. (…) The U100 is perfect for consumers like teenagers and families, but we think it’s too cute for business users. The U120 looks more like a business type of solution: it doesn’t include the round corners but more a square-like look. We were thinking more of a ThinkPad type of a design.”

Check out Fudzilla for more pictures.