Chief Executive Steve Ballmer told an analysts' meeting in New York on Tuesday that Microsoft will offer robust versions of its yet-to-be-released Windows 7 operating software for netbooks, as the company looks to boost revenue from these hot-selling, low-cost computers.

Of course, almost all Apple (AAPL) products, including any recent laptop the company has released, are based on Intel chips, too. But none of them advertise that fact the way that Windows machines do. In other words, when Barack Obama puts down his BlackBerry and boots up his laptop, he’s using a Microsoft (MSFT) machine. Next crucial question: What OS?

The financial market and economic conditions that have developed this past year are truly unprecedented. I hope two years from now when I write this letter I can look at this section as a reflection of something that was short-term and that has passed, but I think the effects of the crisis will last beyond that.