*Off Topic* - T.R. -
I guess the way I view it is that the PC firms are now going after the 'untapped' markets, which would be the lower income and less 'PC savvy' users. That is the group that has to be reached to get PC penetration rates much higher than they are now. I don't think IBM or anyone else has sinister motives here, and as you say, there are risks for the companies involved, the risks being additional service support. It behooves these firms to deliver PC's that are as totally ready to go as possible, or they will spend time talking to the buyers. However, I wonder if a case may be made that in some respects the 'savvy' user might be more of a burden. What I mean is that if you have a new user that wants internet access, and the PC is configured for this, possibly any problems the new user has (if any), can be rectified fairly quickly. What about the rest of us, the ones that want to install dual monitor support, or a 3dfx video card, or SCSI scanners, etc. etc. Maybe we cause more headaches than the neophyte users! <ggg>
Regards,
John |
