MSI Wind, delayed again?

It's June 27th, but instead of a 10-inch MSI Wind NB unboxing we're hearing that at least one pre-order customer is being greeted with another delay. Reason? An "industry wide battery shortage." Come now MSI, we guess you missed that giant fireball-of-a-signal to look elsewhere for your inventory back in March? At least MSI is tossing in free overnight delivery with the new July 7th ship date. Hoozah, drinks are on Fred! Full MSI notification posted after the break.

P.S. The MSI Wind NB retail page is currently blank. Time will tell if this is a deeper issue or just a temporary administration error.

[Thanks, Fred H.]

Dear Customers:

We are writing today to apologize for the delays surrounding the shipment of your MSI Wind NB. We had hoped we would have begun shipping units by now, but have been unable to do so due to the industry wide battery shortage. We can assure MSI is doing everything possible to work around this issue and get your unit shipped.

As estimated, the first shipment will arrive in the week of July 7 and we will upgrade your shipping to overnight service without any extra cost to you.

We can only ask for your continued patience and apologize for any inconvenience this delay may have caused.

Please feel free to contact us at the numbers below if you have any questions or concerns.

Chris Wang 626-913-0828 ext. 103
Lucy Chen 626-913-0828 ext. 163

Sincerely

MSI Online Store

MSI Computer Corp.
901 Canada Court
City of Industry, CA 91748
http://www.msicomputer.com

[wilcoholic @ Jun 27th 2008 4:04AM]

Am I glad that I got the sony vaio TZ. Just a hair bigger but probally alot thinner.

And ofcourse it would run circles around the wind. Only a few $100 bucks more expensive. No wait time either.

[waiownsyou @ Jun 27th 2008 4:21AM]

I love it when people reassure themselves that one product is better than another because they have it.

BTW, my penis is better than yours because it has FireWire 800, Bluetooth, Ethernet, WiFi, and DisplayPort! NUB!!

[wilcoholic @ Jun 27th 2008 4:24AM]

Well the TZ IS better technically. It has more functions, more ram, option for SSD, better screen, better materials, better processor. Thus it IS better.

I'm not reassuring myself. I am reassuring you guys that it is ok to buy a TZ. I'm trying to convince people to get a TZ over a Lenovo X300 and Macbook Air for months now.

[Neil H. @ Jun 27th 2008 4:36AM]

A few $100 bucks?!? The Sony Vaio TZ has a starting price of ~$1,700. I'm not sure if you can really compare it price-wise to the MSI Wind, which is $400-$500.

[wilcoholic @ Jun 27th 2008 6:05AM]

I got mine for about $1000. It is definately possible especially this time of the year when people are expecting fresh new laptops and stores have to clear out their old models.

And even if its more then one year old or even if its a low end version of the TZ. My vaio TZ still runs circles around the wind. The last time I checked the wind was still like what..? 700 bucks and features a single core atom processor? Wich btw gives even less battery life then a ULV C2D processor not to mention its performance.

[ShadowKain @ Jun 27th 2008 8:32AM]

I hate to break it to you, but with SHODDY support, A HORRIBLE DRIVER SITE, and fledgeling options, Sony IS NOT one of the best laptop brands. Anyone can argue me all they want, but having worked Desktop and Laptop support at a PA University, Ive only had frustration with Sony's. Then what is the best right now? Well its up to you preference, but in several articles, at least for THIS year, Apple and Lenovo (primarily Thinkpad series) received the highest marks for overal services and product happiness. Don't believe it? Research it yourself.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Jun 27th 2008 4:06AM]

MSI Wind sounds like a whole lot of hot air.

[Koolshen @ Jun 27th 2008 4:20AM]

BTW the Wind will be sold in German discount supermarkets Aldi as Medion Akoya Mini from July 3rd.

Maybe that's a cause for the delay too, as they're supplying Medion first.

Linky (unfortunately in German):

http://www.aldi-sued.de/de/html/offers/2827_7018.htm

[Hellios @ Jun 27th 2008 5:08AM]

Wait, wait, wait... That thing has Draft-N, while I never saw that on the Wind specs. Also they don't mention what kind of battery it has...

[Matt @ Jun 27th 2008 12:55PM]

Will it be sold at Aldi in the US as well? Probably not?

[xstream @ Jun 27th 2008 4:22AM]

here in germany the msi will be for sale at the local discounter "Aldi" on the third of next month. it will be called medion akoya mini but its in fact the same product. and it will probably come with a 6 cell battery giving it twice the time you can work with it, no joke.

[Yang @ Jun 27th 2008 4:34AM]

Wind PC has been sold out in China several weeks.
It looks like much better than Eee PC 900.
The price is just 400 yuan (approx. $50) more than Eee PC 900 Linux

[Daker @ Jun 27th 2008 4:45AM]

I knew I should have opted for those penis upgrades when I was being reincarnated.

[tom @ Jun 27th 2008 4:47AM]

A question for the gadget pros here:
We, as a company, plan to equip a school with a handful of netbooks. We are currently considering the MSI WIND, EEE 901 and eventually the Acer One.
So I have two questions, you may help me with:

1.) Which netbook has the most durable chassis in terms of build quality. I am not talking about SSD vs. HD oder niceness or form-factor, just which netbook doens't wiggle, eek and squeezes?
2.) Which netbook has the best screen? Not in terms of size (we are talking kids here and 9" is smaller than 10" - we know, we know) but in terms of max brighness (sitting outside with the kids?), color reproduction - simply which one - regardless of size - made you happiest?

All the other information I was able to get from you articles - thanks again!

Tom

[d00b @ Jun 27th 2008 8:11AM]

If you buy in volume, support is important, especially considering your client (a school) probably won't have on-hand IT staff. Going with a brand (Asus/MSI/Acer/whatever) that has no domestic support infrastructure sounds pretty risky to me. If you have your heart set on a netbook, may wait to see what the Dell-E has to offer, although it may debut too late if you are trying to equip the site for the back-to-school season.

Netbooks have their niche, i.e. mobility, although frankly I'm not sure why you'd need mobility in a classroom setting to compromise on screen size. A low-end Dell laptop, like the Vostro series, is a better choice if low-cost is your goal. Or, you may be in a posh district and want to spring for wee eee's for all the lil tykes to carry home, in which case, buy a model that has the largest color selection!

[d00b @ Jun 27th 2008 8:25AM]

Oops, forgot about your questions. Answer: You know as much as anybody here, as none of them has shipped yet!

Anyway, I see your 'outdoor' criterion, which would make sense to get a netbook. Realize that these things are cheap, i.e. with old-tech screens that are washed out in direct sunlight.

@The bumpkin who advocates SSD over HD: When you drop a laptop, the first thing to die isn't the HD but the screen. For lil kids, may be a good idea to to outfit these with custom rubber bumpers.

[Asperous @ Jun 30th 2008 2:09AM]

Get the hp Mininote 2133. It's already out, and it was designed for school kids. As such, it has a sturdy metal casing, a screen with a scratch resistant coating, and a almost full sized keyboard that was build to last.

[Mike Beau @ Jun 27th 2008 5:18AM]

Besides a German launch, the medion folks have announced availability of the Akoya also in The Netherlands and Belgium. Available a few weeks after the German launch, and priced at a sweet EUR 400,- Fingers crossed they ship enough units!

[Silent Auben @ Jun 27th 2008 6:03AM]

@ Tom

1 - 901 got a reanforced chassis with metal stuff , maybe better to keep it alive with kids.

2 - 901 got non brilliant screen, not the case for the msi ( maybe i am wrong about the msi screen, but sure 901 is good for outside use )

3 - 901 got SSD, you want to let kids use the computer, maybe the SSD is the best choice, the DD will crash surely.

4 - sorry for my english i am french :)

[Br0 @ Jun 27th 2008 7:57AM]

im so tired of this. I am officially not giving a shit about the wind any more. It can come out when it damn well pleases. its not worth my time anticipating it, probably when MSI is just doing it for drama anyway. fuck it.

[Rick @ Jun 27th 2008 7:59AM]

You ought to see all the unhappy MSI Wind customers:

http://forums.msiwind.net/stock-where-buy/msi-shop-t378.html

There have been 44 pages of posts from Wind-boys since June 13th when the MSIWind.net forum for ordering first opened. It sounds like some customers blew their whole paycheck on a Wind order.

[Rick @ Jun 27th 2008 8:14AM]

I don't see any mention of 6-cell battery in the Aldi add! Just a LI-Ion battery. The price is 399 Euros which is $626 today.

MSI will probably make more money selling them in Germany at AldI even with the 19% VAT compared to here in USA because of the comparative value of the Euro/Chinese Yuan/Taiwan Dollar. Similar to reported shortage of Wii Fits here. Nintendo made more profits selling them to the Euro Zone because of the decrease in the value of the Yen compared to the Euro.

[Rick @ Jun 27th 2008 8:31AM]

The MSI shop site only lits the Winds when they have them to sell otherwise the page is blank.

[ShadowKain @ Jun 27th 2008 8:37AM]

It's a tuff decision, primarily because teh Eee 900 has improved alot since its initial debut with teh 700 series. Having reviewd the MSI wind though...I would have to say the MSI for me. Ive had many of their products and they are ok on an average level. ASUS is great too, so its all up to with provides better support, and specs. As far as chasis strength, Ive' only held the Eee 900 in my hands, not the wind (for obvious reasons, see title)...so do a little research and you should find your answer.

Regards,

[retro77 @ Jun 27th 2008 9:27AM]

This thing is still vaporware?! Dang!

[SteveJ @ Jun 27th 2008 9:32AM]

They delay is due to their waiting for a good time to break the news that the announced price is without battery, drive, keyboard, motherboard and screen.

[tanooki2003 @ Jun 27th 2008 9:58AM]

DAMNIT MSI You really need to get your acts together and come out with a reasonable launch date.

There are many people, including myself, that are interested in picking one of these up.

[Sean @ Jun 27th 2008 11:03AM]

I really wanted one of these from the second I heard about it vs the Eee, but why bother now?
They've delayed it so much it's getting pretty close to Dell's offering, and people might decide to switch their choice...

[Tom @ Jun 27th 2008 11:41AM]

What a stupid F*cking company, to not have planned ahead like this. I can't tell you how many companies, and people, fail when opportunity knocks because they don't have their shit together. Oh, another grip, I hate people addicted to their cell phones. It's like they lack self-esteem and self-purpose. "Let me see, who can I call now that I'm done with this call." Like they can't be alone with themselves for even a moment. Maybe then they will truly discover, they are worthless.

There, see how mad I get when new toys are delayed!

[antiver @ Jun 27th 2008 12:26PM]

I canceled my order after I got the delay notice, so someone else can wait around for mine. :)

[Joe H @ Jun 27th 2008 2:03PM]

They should at least offer a heavily discounted 6-cell battery to those customers who put up with this, honestly.

[Matt @ Jun 27th 2008 2:57PM]

The MSI Wind MB retail page didn't have a valid security certificate.
(That is, Firefox 3 didn't recognize the CA.) It seems to have a valid certificate now, and the page isn't blank. Is the public key
Modulus (1024 bits):
b9 79 c2 0a 01 ba 57 cf 78 a1 76 d4 bc 16 25 48
ed ff ee 8f ef c1 b8 db 96 8d 99 22 1c f1 9e fc
cf 29 db 1e c3 aa 1f d7 f2 36 5d 11 cd 95 8d e5
d5 86 94 b8 4b 2c f4 f5 18 eb fe 87 2e 4c 33 cb
f9 c0 d5 07 52 c7 c1 a1 2a 43 a9 ca 59 17 01 b1
2d 8c 15 ac 17 50 81 1a ae 0e b7 a3 51 2f b6 97
4c 39 37 31 25 a9 32 bb 84 3b 21 1d 16 94 10 e2
09 57 1f 1c 53 e8 86 a1 43 66 d5 ee fa f6 1e 0d

Exponent (24 bits):
01 00 01

For everyone else?

Anyway, now that I saw the Dell E specs on that gallery, I'm waiting for that.

[Ingersoll @ Jun 27th 2008 4:56PM]

At this rate the Dell E slim is going to make it to market first.