Simply a netbook? Marks&Spencers launches its own branded netbook but why?

Jam, pre-cooked noodles and nice reliable heels are one thing – PCs are another. But British supermarket stalwart Marks & Spencers are forging where no other supermarkets have gone before and offering own-branded computer netbooks.

Manufactured by British PC-makers Elonex, the M&S netbooks look decent, but fairly standard: the MSNB-2009 is a 10-inch, Intel Atom laptop with 1GB of RAM and Windows XP. It costs £279 and has other features like 6hr battery life and a webcam. Nothing outstanding and nothing very M&S-sy (apart from a two year guarantee). Why are they charging into the busy netbook market with competitors like Dell, Acer and Asus? I don’t know.

They already sell electrical goods, but maybe the M&S brand will add a reassuring name to electronic goods for its core market, the well-heeled middle-classes. I don’t think that toting one of these around will get you much street-cred, but then if you want a nice middle-class netbook.. this is clearly the one to go for.

M&S netbook for £279 see specs on the Elonex site

[via CNET]