MSI Wind clone sports high quality vanilla blandness

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Comments Posted on Oct 02, 2009 Posted by Song Jiang

Here's a netbook offering that looks and feels just like an MSI Wind. It has the same hardware as the original U100 and is pretty much just like the original in all other respects. A clone it may well be, but that's not to say that this is in any way an inferior product. Wan Tat Technology have apparently made a genuine effort to maintain the highest standards to produce a product that stands up to Western scrutiny in terms of design and build quality.

It's well over a year now since MSI leapt into the netbook quagmire with their Wind U100. Billed as an Eee PC killer at the time, the MSI Wind U199 was one of the first netbook products to hit streets in a 10 inch format, and while it may not have slayed the Asus Eee, it certainly did a decent job of competing with it on store shelves. Today the U100 is almost a netbook paradigm. A vanilla netbook in a sea of bland flavors.

The clone is no different. Just a quick spec check should prove my point. You're getting a 10.2 inch screen with a 1024 x 600 pixel resolution, Intel Atom 1.6GHz, 1GB of DDR2, a 160G 5200rpm hard drive, 3 USB ports, VGA port, Ethernet LAN, a 3 in 1 card reader and wireless b/g/n. So this is, by today's standard at least, quintessential netbook fare that will only pique your interest at the right price.

Western Opportunity Analysis:

Shenzhen based Wan Tat Technology Co. are asking for 1700 RMB for this one, which translates to just a shade below 250 USD. A quick click or two on Google shopping will tell you that this is not too far from the sub 300 USD retail tag in the West, so what gives? Having raised this question myself with Mainland OEMs and ODMs, it appears that even the shanzhai have margins to maintain, and that a lower price point would invariably mean an inferior product, which is something Wan Tat and others are trying to avoid. Wan Tat are focused trying to offer a genuinely quality product at a genuinely competitive price.

Conclusions:

Available in a choice of white or black, the U100 clone is, like the original that inspired it, far from mouth watering. Although I applaud the focus on quality, I like to see shanzhai manufacturers offer something extra, be it an SSD drive or larger screen. Who knows, perhaps Wan Tat can offer these options on volume orders. Still, there is no doubt that a significant audience for a decent quality vanilla netbook exists, which is clearly where this model is positioned.

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