[ Wednesday ]
Need A Second (or Third) PC ?
The trend is the same...a new product appears in the market at a relatively expensive price point; early adopters rush out to get one, and within a few years, everyone on the block has one. That is the way manufacturers hope, at least, it happens. And if you have watched the roll out of transistor radios, color televisions, handheld calculators, VCRs, and personal computers, you must know that the trend will continue. Some items such as cellular telephones have been subsidized by the carriers in an effort to get them into the hands of the consumers. Once there, carriers hoped to recoup their losses with per-minute usage fees and add-ons.
Personal computer buyers have benefited from competition and lower manufacturing costs, as many of the components are made offshore, in state-of-the-art plants with low wage (relative to the U.S.) workers.
Within the past few days, I did some quick research for a friend who is looking for a replacement PC. The 'old' PC, I was told, cost between $1000-$2000 (USD), but seemed now to be "a little slow". And besides, it was being shared with other family members. While I am not sure what 'a little slow' means anymore, I did suggest that a new PC could be purchased for less than $500 (USD), have a larger hard drive, faster processor, better video card, along with a CD burner, and have a new warranty. For a few hundred more, one might consider a notebook computer.
It was only a few years ago that I might have suggested that someone purchase a second-hand or used PC. Afterall, prices for new PCs were in the thousands, and used PCs could be bought for $500-$700 (USD). Today, the numbers just don't make sense.
PCs have reached a price point that many consider to be so low as to justify buying an additional unit, much like consumers once bought that extra TV or VCR. Now, if manufacturers can just make them as reliable...
MM [09:05]
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