MSI Wind desktops to hit retail shelves in September

Just as the MSI Wind mini-notebook is set to challenge the Eee PC next month, so is a desktop version of the Wind reportedly getting ready to rival the Eee Box in September. The components of the desktop device are quite similar to those of the Wind mini-notebook, including the same 1.6Ghz Atom processor as well as Windows XP, 1GB of RAM (expandable to 2GB), a DVD drive, up to 160GB of storage space and Wi-Fi.

The mini-desktop will be priced at around $299, seemingly a great price for anyone who just needs a basic desktop for email, surfing and media playback. Sure I can see how its small size, low power consumption and quiet running will earn it more than a fan or two, but with full-blown desktops with more powerful processors now selling for almost the same price – including the recently announced IdeaCentre line from Lenovo which starts at $379 – one has to wonder how well this low profile mini-desktops will do on the market. We’ll have to wait and see. For now, let’s just hope the desktop version of the Wind has more luck than the notebook in getting out to the public on time.