I like to think of them as a necessary household appliance.
To the OP, Don't fret, if Obama wins the election and "Spreads The Wealth" the Wal-Mart crowd will have plenty of cash to spend on better computers!
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My own "Get a Mac" rant...from personal experience
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I like to think of them as a necessary household appliance.
To the OP, Don't fret, if Obama wins the election and "Spreads The Wealth" the Wal-Mart crowd will have plenty of cash to spend on better computers!
Hmm, as far as I know, the iPods at one time actually did ship with malware.
Secondly, you seem to confuse "Quality will cost good money" with "Good money is a guarantee for good quality".
Edit:
Here it was: "1%" (as usual, whenever Apple have problems):
http://www.apple.com/support/windowsvirus/
I thought basically the same thing. Why in the world would anyone actually be upset because some companies make computers that are affordable by low income individuals? Wow. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with people?
Oh and to the OP, you can buy a new APPLE notebook computer for under $1000. (white MB $850 @ Best Buy) When a customer comes in and says "Well, all I'm a-gonna be doin' is checkin' my email" then you should do your job and inform them that the $400 eMachines is more than adequate and spare us your rants. Thank you.
WOW
??? Prejudice ???
You should be more consistent. Looks/smells have nothing to do with anything. I smell right after the gym and i look disheveled after working outside on the weekend. If I can only squeeze in a trip after either or, who are you to judge?
Other than that, your post makes sense and it's a tough decision. I'd just be honest and consistent when you refer customers to apple.
Actually I disagree with you. There really is nothing wrong with the $299 eMachine PC. In fact the ONLY reason to buy a PC is because you can get one for $299 at Walmart. If the customer had $1,000 then he'd be far better not getting a PC at all. At that price buy a Mac. What I can't understand is why anyone would spend $1,000 on a PC.
So, here I am, a Mac user for years, enthralled in everything that is Apple. Cupertino runs my cell phone, my media center, my computers, my radio. I walk in to Wal-Mart to buy my mom an eMachines computer because, well, that is what she wants. Doesn't want to take the time to learn a new system because at work she uses Windows. Makes sense.
So, am I thrown into the customer base you are TRYING to figure out? By the way, I'm on my way back from a 3 day camping trip so I smell like crap and look the part.
Don't be so quick to judge people. I go to Wal-Mart all the time. It opens early (I'm off work at 7am) and it's easy. That irish spring soap is the same at Wal-Mart or anywhere else. And to be honest, most people don't give a damn what brand of computer they buy. They just want something affordable that does what they need it to do. Those of us who are meticulous about what we buy are in the extreme minority.
So, am I thrown into the customer base you are TRYING to figure out? By the way, I'm on my way back from a 3 day camping trip so I smell like crap and look the part.
Don't be so quick to judge people. I go to Wal-Mart all the time. It opens early (I'm off work at 7am) and it's easy. That irish spring soap is the same at Wal-Mart or anywhere else. And to be honest, most people don't give a damn what brand of computer they buy. They just want something affordable that does what they need it to do. Those of us who are meticulous about what we buy are in the extreme minority.
You know, I realize that emachines are definitely at the bottom of the pecking order. But I've had mine for 5 years, put it through hell, and it's still kicking.
I've heard some people say they've had to return emachines because they stopped working after a month. I've heard people say they've had to return macs because they stopped working after a month. It's the luck of the draw.
It's a bit sad that you have such disdain for people who choose NOT to invest ridiculous amounts of money for a computer. Not everyone lives at their computer. (i do...)
I own a mac and an emachines. They both have their merits and downfalls (even the $2000 mac has it's issues
)
I've heard some people say they've had to return emachines because they stopped working after a month. I've heard people say they've had to return macs because they stopped working after a month. It's the luck of the draw.
It's a bit sad that you have such disdain for people who choose NOT to invest ridiculous amounts of money for a computer. Not everyone lives at their computer. (i do...)
I own a mac and an emachines. They both have their merits and downfalls (even the $2000 mac has it's issues
)
You think you can actually work in corporate american and have a consciousness?
LOL! Just because I work there doesn't mean I swallow their Kool-Aid. And really, I don't work for them, I work only for myself. 
Hey now...There is a difference between body odor from manual labor and body odor from poor hygiene. I mean, after working every single Friday and Saturday night at the place for a year, it becomes relatively easy to detect those subtle nuances.
And by the way, to all the other people telling me to get off my high horse, please note that my original post was meant to be at least somewhat humorous and thought-provoking. And please note, I haven't even bothered recommending a Mac to customers because I already know it's useless to try. Apart from family members and friends, there's actually very little Mac-plugging from me.
And come on, you must show me SOME sympathy, even though I work for a giant evil corporation...being asked if one can pay for their digital camera with their food stamp card* eventually ceases to amuse me at all.
* Absolutely positively honest this actually happened, cross my heart hope to die, swear to God, not kidding, no joke.
One man's trash, is another man's treasure.
emachines, Dell, and HP computers aren't crap. Yes, their design comes nowhere close to a mac, that's a given.
But what truly makes them bad, is the OS they run: windows.
I think Steve Jobs put it best himself when he said Apple can't be everything to everybody or something like that and that Apple chooses not to get into certain markets.
there are people who will want emachines, and cheap 399 computers even though a mac is much better.
that's just life. To each his own..owning a mac doesn't make one better or more "enlightened" it just means we're people who really enjoy our computing at a whole different level, and appreciate good design
emachines, Dell, and HP computers aren't crap. Yes, their design comes nowhere close to a mac, that's a given.
But what truly makes them bad, is the OS they run: windows.
I think Steve Jobs put it best himself when he said Apple can't be everything to everybody or something like that and that Apple chooses not to get into certain markets.
there are people who will want emachines, and cheap 399 computers even though a mac is much better.
that's just life. To each his own..owning a mac doesn't make one better or more "enlightened" it just means we're people who really enjoy our computing at a whole different level, and appreciate good design
I agree. That's why I run Ubuntu on my emachines. Granted it's not OSX but it's got many of the perks and doesn't cost anything. I actually like it more than OSX in some respects.
While I agree with most of the points you listed here; I'd like to offer my opinion on this.
I worked for a retailer in their computer department. I had to answer this question many times a day, "Is this a good computer?" as they pointed to the computer in the ad that was $250 dollars after a bunch of rebates. While you and I both know it's a terrible computer (for OUR uses), I would always answer back, "Well, it depends on what it's being used for."
My point is, if they are going to use it once a week/month to check e-mail, browse the internet, etc... Then who am I to say it's a terrible computer? It may be perfectly fine for them. Now for somebody who will use it daily/many hours a day, they would probably be intolerant of that particular computer. But the very occasional user would probably be tolerant of it.
Basically, your job is to find them the computer that fits their needs, not the one that would work for you as you're probably by far more of an advanced user than a person looking to purchase a computer at Walmart.
I still think for any user a Mac would be the best option* and I'm fairly confident in saying that most of us here would agree that a Mac is a better purchase than a $398 walmart special**
*My opinion and may be shared by others.
**I'm only assuming here, I have no statistical proof whatsoever to support this.
I did essentially the same thing when I worked at Staples after my first year of college. We had a line up of crap-tastic HPs and Compaqs with all kinds of shiny features that were largely useless, and almost sure to break in the first year of ownership...but they sure did bring in the computer illiterate in droves. Then we had the REALLY low end (eMachines), and we actually had one decent NEC worth owning...but of course, it was about $500 more expensive than any other computer.
So when people would ask me "Which of these computers should I buy?", I would just answer "Uh...Gateway?". Keep in mind, I wasn't on the Apple bandwagon at the time, and Dell wasn't popular yet (if it was even around), so Gateway did make the best beige boxes at the time. Also, Staples didn't sell Gateway...so I got a lot of confused looks.
So when people would ask me "Which of these computers should I buy?", I would just answer "Uh...Gateway?". Keep in mind, I wasn't on the Apple bandwagon at the time, and Dell wasn't popular yet (if it was even around), so Gateway did make the best beige boxes at the time. Also, Staples didn't sell Gateway...so I got a lot of confused looks.
In 1958 my father purchased the first computer AT&T ever bought. He laughs today about how much it cost and that it had less processing power and memory than my iPhone! As the years passed he literally spent hundreds of millions of dollars on computers, so to him they will always be a commodity item. Period. There is no convincing him other wise. He has bought Dell for several years and about every 30 months he buys a new one. I have tried to get him to buy an Apple and he thinks I am crazy for spending so much on a computer. He thought I was out of my mind when I bought a Rolex twenty-eight years ago also ( oops, showing my age!) The fact that he has spent nearly three times as much on his commodity watches as I initially spent on the Rolex is a non-issue to him. He is like the vast majority of electronics consumers; personal electronics are a commodity, buy what you want/need at the best price and call it a day. And it is not that he does not have the money, Mom buys a new Caddy every two years, it is just that electronic items are a commodity to him that he can toss when it gives him problems. For Dad, a $400 Dell is the perfect machine.
Yeah man!
Fantastic thread
that last bit made me laugh
Its true though. There is something about the mac os, and the look of the machines that just make life so easier when using a computer
Fantastic
ML
Fantastic thread
that last bit made me laugh
Its true though. There is something about the mac os, and the look of the machines that just make life so easier when using a computer
Fantastic
ML
That was sort of the underlying reason for my rant earlier. We as a culture have become so engrossed in this instant-gratification mentality of "I want it CHEAP! I want it NOW!" that we make decisions like this. We buy what's cheapest and suits our immediate needs without any regard to the fact that if we were to spend a bit more we could get so much better and longer lasting.
On a similar vein (but unrelated to the original thread), I have a friend who tells of how he and his wife walked into a dealership for a particular luxury car company (and not even a crazy one; I see lots of their cars on the road) and being told that "our cars aren't really for you, perhaps you should try the other dealership down the street". They both work in very well-paying jobs and money would not have been an issue at all, but they figured if the dealership didn't want their business, then so be it!
Wow. If someone's just going to surf the internet and check their email that their relative sent them, and they are poor, I would say the emachine is perfect. I don't think you're right to tell those people that have to most likely also sustain a family, that they're paying for crap and that they should spend 1000+ dollars on something that isn't going to be very mandatory for the family.
Agreed 100%.
Not everyone needs "the Mac experience". Not everyone needs their computer to sing for them and give them an emotional connection for the reasons why us Mac fans love our computers.
The way the OP words things makes it sound like a computer with Vista on it is guaranteed to fail, and that's not true. Apple computers are all feats of engineering, but not all computers need to be like that, because not everyone wants or needs their computer to be like that.
This thread is awful. I almost am ashamed of myself for even responding. OP is an idiot. You think after living on a Wal-Mart salary for the last year and a half there would be some understanding of the intended market for a $399 computer...
The bottom line is that I've still got my P2-233 from 1997 kicking around. It runs Windows 98, and cost me $1800 + another $150 for the 15" CRT monitor. I've also got my $699 Dell from 2002 running Windows XP. And I also have got my $300 eMachines desktop from last year purring along side those two. They all are still working fine, and out of all of those the $300 eMachines is by far the better performer.
Of course I also have my mosnter quad core machine and a few macs that I spend most of my time on, but I am frankly amazed what $300 can buy you these days, because the eMachines hasn't failed me yet, and I expect it to continue pumping on along side my Dell and white box P2 for years to come serving up files on my network.
Frankly if you're having a problem selling a consumer a sub $1000 computer at Wal-Mart because you think it's crap, you're working at the wrong place. If you haven't noticed Wal-Mart also sells bottom-barrel TV's, crappy home theaters in a box, and telivision stands that fall apart if you look at them wrong.
You should seriously consider moving to a sandwich shop, they might even pay better.
The bottom line is that I've still got my P2-233 from 1997 kicking around. It runs Windows 98, and cost me $1800 + another $150 for the 15" CRT monitor. I've also got my $699 Dell from 2002 running Windows XP. And I also have got my $300 eMachines desktop from last year purring along side those two. They all are still working fine, and out of all of those the $300 eMachines is by far the better performer.
Of course I also have my mosnter quad core machine and a few macs that I spend most of my time on, but I am frankly amazed what $300 can buy you these days, because the eMachines hasn't failed me yet, and I expect it to continue pumping on along side my Dell and white box P2 for years to come serving up files on my network.
Frankly if you're having a problem selling a consumer a sub $1000 computer at Wal-Mart because you think it's crap, you're working at the wrong place. If you haven't noticed Wal-Mart also sells bottom-barrel TV's, crappy home theaters in a box, and telivision stands that fall apart if you look at them wrong.
You should seriously consider moving to a sandwich shop, they might even pay better.