HP's Tiny Windows 8.1 PC Is $180

HP has unveiled a Windows 8.1 mini desktop computer that's only two inches tall and costs under $200. It's part of an ongoing campaign to battle Google by producing cheap Windows computers.

The Stream Mini Desktop is just under six inches square and weighs only 1.6 pounds. It's a small, self-contained box with two USB ports, video outputs for HDMI and DisplayPort, an audio socket, an SD card reader, and an Ethernet port for connecting to a network. At the time of writing, it does not appear to have a wireless (Wi-Fi) connection, though one could easily add a USB Wi-Fi dongle to achieve the same result.

HP is also bundling a mouse and a keyboard with its device, which in total costs $180. That means that all you need do to is add a monitor or plug it into a TV set to have a fully functioning computer. (Source: computerworld.com)

Stream Mini is a Basic Version of a Windows PC

It should be noted that the HP Stream Mini computer does not have particularly powerful hardware specifications.

It has only 32GB of storage available to the user, with HP arguing most people will either store files online, or use an SD card for external storage. The computer has only 2GB of RAM, which is the absolute bare minimum required to run Windows 8.1 smoothly, even though the official requirement is just 1 GB. The processor is an Intel Celeron 2957U running at 1.4GHz, with 2 cores and 2 threads total. In other words, it's a very low powered dual core CPU. (Source: pcworld.com)

The device seems to be aimed at people who want to run Windows, but want to spend as little as possible and perhaps save space as well. It's also possible it could work well for people who want to stream content from the Internet to their computer (similar to a "media pc") and don't want to be tied down to set-top boxes that don't always work with all services.

HP Stream Mini PC Battles Chromebox in Budget Market

In 2012, Google began offering its Chromebox range, which is effectively a low-spec "computer in a box." It has proven to be popular with users that only need to use their computer for simple tasks such as surfing the Internet and basic document creation and editing.

HP is effectively following suit with its Stream Mini Desktop PC. While unconfirmed, it appears Microsoft may have agreed to waive its manufacturer license fee for HP to use Windows on its machine -- something it already does for phones and smaller tablet computers. That has a big effect because on the price of cheaper computers, the license fee makes up a more significant proportion of the total cost.

What's Your Opinion?

Would you consider buying a device such as this as a cheaper alternative to a traditional desktop PC? Is Microsoft smart to try to battle against non-Windows devices at the cheaper end of the market? Or does the strategy risk people being disappointed by performance and instead blaming Windows?