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- cyrix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11ROSS, pretty much anything that's purchased on any type of payment plan is going to be more expensive than outright buying the machine.
- Filoviridae, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Until the Chinese release Jack Bauer I will not be supporting any of their products.
- gekkokid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6this is a method of western corporations to break into the Chinese market and actually make money, but the chinese way is copy it make it cheaper :P
- titlesaysitall, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6"I am so going to pwn you bitch, getting ready to headshot you, ready aim...., *****! My credit ran out!"
- retral, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8Erm, I paid like 700 USD for my nice Turion 64 / 1GB ram / 60GB HD laptop: it runs games nicely and has awesome battery life. No freaking way I'm spending 600 dollars+ more on a piece of junk.
- ross., on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I don't understand why these computers are so darn expensive. It's not in this article, but another article I read stated that the down payment of US$600 was HALF what cosumers would eventually pay. And they weren't exactly state of the art computers. I don't know how it works in the US, but here in Australia, you can buy a new computer OUTRIGHT for US$600. It seems its the people who can least afford to pay US$1200 for a handicapped computer are the ones who will.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2006/05/22/microsoft-flexgo-pay-as-you-go-pcs/ - gcnaddict, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Some pictures from Transmeta's WinHEC booth regarding FlexGo :)
http://www.aeroxp.org/board/index.php?showtopic=3732 - andrewmp, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Internet cafes and libraries make this product obsolete
- wvdavis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Just what the world needed, a payment plan for the BSOD. Can I get tech support with that?
- VeteranRanger, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6IMHO Monthly payments are just fine if you have problems paying it all at once...
What sucks about it is if something happens to the product (damage/theft not covered by warranty, or you replaced it by a newer one, technology evolves fast as we all know) and you're still paying for it months after.
Still, Interesting application of the policy. - aximbigfan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4heh, there is a compuer store near me that sells p3 computers (with everything neeed to operate ) for $5 yeas you heard right $5. the way they do it is that the lease their computers to busnesses and then after the lease is up they sell the computers. they make most of their money of the lease.
chris - retral, on 10/12/2007, -6/+10Ugh comment system is being stupid. bury
- lennon2600, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4if anyone thinks for a moment that this program is for the benefit of mr or mrs consumer, they're fooling themself. The same goes for leasing or financing. You're always going to pay more for "convenience." The least costly method to buying goods is to, well, buy them outright.
- doant, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I wonder how long it takes before someone hacks the system wait someone smart enough to hack it wouldn't buy a thing like this. Never mind
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4it's called credit.. get a credit card better than letting your pc die
- pabster, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3That was my first thought. How long until the payment system is cracked and people walk away with free PC's?
- liquidoc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Ahh, but someone more fortunate than others and with the knowhow might buy one just to hack it and publish it for all those who want a cheaper computer.
Besides, whatever happened to the 100 dollar laptop? I think that is a much better solution to this problem than a freaking pay-as-you-go service. - positron, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3If Microsoft has their hands in it, and they do, you can bet it will be OS dependent.
- mcdougrs, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Ok what intrigues me is... Is this OS dependant? What happens if you decide to wipe out Windows and put Linux on it? How does the laptop/pc function then when out of minutes? Can the code be entered in through the BIOS? Does the owner now get a PC free and clear for the downpayment price?
- lnxaddct, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3ross,
Yea, these prices are outrageous. In the U.S. you can a perfectly good family computer for $600, Dell usually has some deal for like $300 even (although if you're doing any "power user" stuff, you wouldn't want it). Microsoft I think is up to something... probably trying to lock people in using a new method. Afterall, if you run out of prepaid time on these computers, you better pay up or lose all of your data. This just seems very anti-PC to me. It takes the personal out of personal computing (I never own it, it is not my personal property). I guess companies will try anything for an extra buck. - chadell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I can just imagine running out of top-up credit while in the middle of a lecture or business presentation.
- aristofeles, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2A cheap, family PC (256M ram, 40G hd, onboard video, Windows Starter, etc), costs US$600 here on brazil. I can imagine a lot of people who would buy this paying, let's say.. $30 monthly for 10 months, and getting the cards. Exactly as they do on cell phones.
- wvdavis, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I like to stay at your GF's house too. Just use my laptop, I'm not using it right now.
- RatBagu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think so. If someone's got an irregular income, then they'll be more inclined to break laws and bypass the payment system. What'll make Lenovo lose money is that a person will buy these $300 machines and not pay the payments because of a bypass. Then their whole plan will be foiled.
- demonicume, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2lets see
1) bring computer home
2) turn it on
3) hack it or find someone who can
4) laugh my ass off
5) cry because i bought a crappy computer - kingygk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2if microsoft pushes this i am switching to a mac!!!
- chadell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I do not think that the hardware will be compromised by the payment method. This is just a payment solution that enables people with irregular income to have access to the latest computers which they would otherwise not be able to afford. This is Microsoft's answer to the $100 laptop.
- shucklak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2That is exactly what I (and I think a lot of people) are not looking forward to (and will probably never happen the way you think it will).
If it did, well then say goodbye to:
- personal PC freedom
- piracy
- Really cool hardware rigs
- True hardware/software customization
And what is the plus side of it all?? Microsoft would make more money. Well done. - Mrmazoku, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That is exactly what this is.
You pay $600, and you've paid the company for the hardware. Now you are 'obligated' to pay $600 more. It dosen't really matter to them if you pay it or not, they have already made their money back and then some. Everything else is pure profit.
Plus I'm sure there will be firmware hacks and all that.. but you're still getting a sub-par computer for a low price. - Chompy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Deals" like this basically amount to a tax on stupid people.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2it sounds like those radio ad's here.. get a new computer for only $20 a week for a year..
makes a $300 comp cost over $2k - tavisjohn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Exactly! We have already had a problem with phone companies just handing our personal calling habits and other info over to the government without any court order! Do we REALLY want to trust someone ELSE with the protection of OUR PERSONAL data? Do you really want BIG BROTHER to have access to your designs for your super efficient car engine, or the nude pics of you drunk trying to get it on with a seat cushion?
- larfus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I will just stay with the Bluehippo plan........ runs and ducks the flames....
- Dycacian, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I heard this morning on NPR that they would sell computers worth $600 for about $300 bucks, and pay as you go from there until you bought it or, I guess, sent it back. You would end up paying 15-30% more this way in the end than you would if you bought it outright.
- tavisjohn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2You may not be aware, but the US economy punishes the poor. If you can not afford something then you pay credit cardintrest. If you can not get a credit card, then you pay higher than retail from rent-to-own shops. This is just another rent to own scam.
Now what I am wondering, how long till someone figures out how to bypass the pay as you go system? How will they prevent hackers from hacking these? How will they prevent people from parting the machines out?
Is it as easy as formatting the HD and installing the OS from scratch? (Not from their disks)
If you do not have an internet connection, how will you add time to it? What about a lack of a landline, or both! Some people have only a cell phone, and use public library internet access... So does that mean they can not have this? - cjmovie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1When you see 'Celeron' , you know it's not the best. Celerons are a processor brand meant to be cheap but get the job done for all the basic stuff: Like Office. A Cache smaller than 512KB and a video card with any amount of "Shared Memory" just doesn't cut it for most games, or graphics design (especially 3D).
I'd recommend an AMD Turion if you can find a good deal on one. Faster Pentiums/Mobile CPUs from Intel generally aren't economical until you get to some upper limits: AMD fits right in the middle with a few in the top. - astrotrain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1They should have chosen Linux... that way it would have cut the price of the Computer in half. With Microsoft calling the shots, that's $200 easily right there for the OS itself. And as stated above, will this 'Pay As you
Go Plan" cover maintenance, security, damage.... I doubt it.
These pay as you go computers have been out for a while they are mostly scams thus far. Such companies
such as Blue Hippo computers does not give you the computer right away, they wait until you make so many
payments and then (maybe) they ship you the PC.
These companies already have black marks against them with the BBB.
PPL should just go to the local computer show when it rolls into town. Just make sure the company you buy
from is not to far in case of issues, and they give you a recovery CD or the OS CD in case of system failure.
A number of companies blow images down to PCs and sell them, but never give you the OS. HP got in serious trouble because of this not to long ago. - aznboi04k, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1this sounds like a dumb idea. just pay for the whole laptop. i know lenovo laptops are ridiculously expensive, so buy another brand! that way, you wouldn't need this pay-as-you-go service.
- themadcreator, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1so the low wage earners that this laptop targets are going to be giving lectures and important business presentations?
- Chompy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2If you have less assets, you present a greater lending risk. It's not discrimination, hippy: it's math.
- jaredvolkl, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That was my first thought too. When is this going to get cracked? Though I checked out that link and it looks like they're using specially designed hardware (ram and CPU soldered to the mobo) to prevent cracking. Still with the massive amounts of rogue developers out there, I'd be surprised if even this kind of protection isn't bypassed eventually.
- shucklak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You don't seriously think Microsoft makes $200+ for its OS do you??
The cost for Windows wholesale value varies by country, but ranges between $55 and $80. If it were $200, then you probably would see a lot more cases of Linux being distributed with new PC's.
In this case, they MIGHT be bringing in as much as $100 a computer, after interest, but most definintely not more than that. They are after all, Lenovo computers. - Firefly, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This pricing model could easily get picked up in the rest of the world. Microsoft and Lenovo did not say you would be required to pay for the second half of the PC, but that you just pay as you go. So this PC would end up costing you less depending on your usage over the useful lifetime of your PC. If you purchase a new PC every 3-4 years, and use it sparingly for the occasional web browsing and email checking, then this pricing model might actually be beneficial.
It really all depends on the actual cost per minute and the full price of the box...
Let's say the per hour cost is 25 cents, the full price is $600, and you use the PC 1hour per day, every day.
at the end of the first year, you would have paid $300 + $.25*365 = $391.25
If you replace your PC after 3 years, it would have cost you $573.75 a small saving over the $600 full price, but again you paid it over three years.
So depending on the hourly cost, and the full price of the PC, it could actually be beneficial. At this hourly rate, some might consider buying one as a second PC for the living room or kitchen and only use it for the occasional web, email or recipe checking. - crpietschmann, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Chompy - ""Deals" like this basically amount to a tax on stupid people. "
Is it really taxing the stupid people if they don't realize they are being taxed? And, we all know the world has plenty of stupid people. - muffinmanpoo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Make that:
5) Sell it on eBay for $50 more than you paid. - bendan888, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Pay as you go might help reduce software piracy. In China, the only way companies have been able to make money from video games is pay as you go (online gaming). The same could apply for desktop software. It would be interesting to see what applications are included in the package in addition to the OS.
- dwhitbeck, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I remember pay as you go back in the 70's. It was called time share and cost about 30 cents for a second of CPU time.
- rasterbator, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Don't fall for this. Computers are not as expensive as cars. Why pay monthly? Even if you are low income, it is better to save and buy a computer than it is to rent or lease one, which is basically what you are doing if you do not pay at once. Will Micro$oft send someone to your house name Vinnie if you don't pay for a couple of months?
- shinaku, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1MacBook Pro
- llbbl, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Should have been Linux on that laptop. MSware sucks.
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