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Microsoft Selling CRAPWARE Free PCs in Store

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Haters of CRAPWARE will probably feel good about this. OEMs probably not. According to Ars Technica the PCs Microsoft is selling in its stores (only one open so far as I know) is free from the CRAPWARE we normally see when we buy a new PC from some other outlets. It’s not a completely clean install of Windows 7, you’ll see Windows Live Essentials and Microsoft Security Essentials on the devices. You’ll also see Adobe s0ftware on the device.

But in any event, if you buy an HP, Dell, Acer, Asus, etc… from a Microsoft Store you won’t see any of the “value added” stuff that we all know and hate as CRAPWARE.

6 Comments

6 Comments

  1. Mickey Segal

    10/28/2009 at 6:46 pm

    When I first saw the headline “Microsoft Selling CRAPWARE Free PCs in Store” I thought that Microsoft put so much crapware on PCs that it could give them away free. The fact that it is crapware-free rather than free-PCs is more edifying.

    I imagine there would have been takers for the free-PCs, though; all one would have to do is re-format them.

  2. GoodThings2Life

    10/28/2009 at 7:02 pm

    One of two things will happen…

    Either…

    Microsoft will be the one subsidizing the hardware costs by giving OEM’s kickbacks to NOT bundle junk. Consumers will love it and demand all systems be void of junk once they realize that the junk was the real root of all their PC ailments over the years. Bundlers will be angry and file lawsuits again, and we go right back to 1995…

    …or…

    Microsoft won’t offer kickbacks, OEM’s will charge more for the systems, bundlers will STILL be mad and file lawsuits, despite public outrage over the fact they realize how much better off we are. The lawsuits will still launch us back to 1995 all over again and we’re left dealing with antitrust regulations AND expensive computers. Again.

    Of course, there’s gonna be a small but vocally outraged group crying about how they miss Bundled App X which will fuel the outrage by the bundlers… especially Adobe, Google, and security suite vendors… and rather than just downloading it on their own, they’ll cry about it publicly, which will start previously said lawsuits to happen.

    So… we need to make sure option A happens and pre-emptively silence the whiners! *lol*

  3. GoodThings2Life

    10/28/2009 at 7:05 pm

  4. Mike

    10/29/2009 at 5:08 am

    I don’t think the money the bundlers ad in can be that steep.
    I can buy all the parts to build a computer myself at about the same cost (or a little more).
    And that includes the hefty penalty of the cost of windows itself, which the big builders are getting much, much, much, much more cheaply.
    They are getting their hardware much, much more cheaply as well.
    Ad it all up and I think they can sell those systems at current prices with no bundled apps and still be making a profit.

  5. GoodThings2Life

    10/29/2009 at 6:40 am

    @Mike,

    OEM’s make their money by underpowering their systems at a low cost in an effort to make you opt for upgrades… more RAM, bigger/faster hard drive, etc. where they make the real money. Look at the cost of a 4GB RAM upgrade from an OEM versus buying it yourself on NewEgg.

    That should give you a pretty clear picture on just how much markup they’re making on the upgrades and how much cost they’re cutting on front end thanks to the kickbacks they get. You’re right on the Windows licensing, but the Adobe, Google, McAfee/Symantec bundles are huge marketing in-roads for those companies and it’s not a free lunch.

    Hundreds of dollars per PC? But a significant loss if the whole deals get cut, and I guarantee OEM’s may look at the consumers to compensate.

  6. GoodThings2Life

    10/29/2009 at 6:41 am

    Oops, cut too much out during editing… last part should have read:

    Hundreds of dollars per PC? No. But a significant loss if the whole deals get cut, and I guarantee OEM’s may look at the consumers to compensate

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