Microsoft has been growing its share of the netbook segment in recent months. However, the growth has largely been via Windows XP, rather than Windows Vista.
The trend towards netbooks has not been lost on the software maker. When the topic turns to Windows 7 at the Professional Developers Conference (PDC) this week, Microsoft can be expected to talk about an operating system that can run well on all manner of laptops, including those at the low end.
Windows 7 is just one of many topics expected to come up at the conference, which will take place in Los Angeles.
Most of the Windows discussion at the show will come on Tuesday, on day two of the event, while the first day's keynote speech is expected to focus on 'Windows Cloud' or 'Windows Strata', the company's cloud-based operating system.
Day two will also feature talk of Office 14, the next version of Office, with sources saying that the company will show off some features, including its ability to run inside a web browser.
It is critical for Microsoft to be competitive in the netbook segment, which is growing far faster than the market as a whole. The segment is also the first area of the desktop market where Microsoft has seen a significant level of competition from Linux.
Many of the initial netbook models were Linux only, which led to Microsoft releasing versions of XP that can run on flash-based memory. As some of the netbooks have started to come with traditional hard drives, some Vista models, such as HP's 2133 Mini-Note PC, have also cropped up.
Microsoft has declined to comment on Windows 7 ahead of the conference. The company has said that it will outline the product in detail and give attendees a pre-beta version of the operating system.
