__/ [ Sinister Midget ] on Monday 22 May 2006 18:00 \__
> On 2006-05-22, The Ghost In The Machine <ewill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> posted something concerning:
>> http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=1988754
>>
>> Microsoft Corp. Develops Technology for People to Pay for PC by the Hour
>>
>> ...
>>
>> The technology, called FlexGo, will be used as part of efforts to
>> sell computers to lower-income consumers in developing countries,
>> where Microsoft is eager to find new money-making opportunities but
>> is battling software piracy and other barriers.
>>
>> (I'll just bet it is.)
>>
>> ...
>>
>> ...Lenovo...
>>
>> (Ugh.)
>>
>> ...
>>
>> The program will generally work like this: a user will pay for about
>> half the cost of the computer upfront, and then will purchase
>> pre-paid cards to get hourly access to the computer at home. If the
>> pre-paid card runs out and the user doesn't buy more hours, the
>> computer stops working until the user buys another card.
>>
>> (Or hacks the cardreader unit. Hello, clue phone, line 2...)
>
> What a stupid effin' idea! That's OK, though. It's from a company with
> a long, distinguished history of stupid ideas.
I believe it's their answer to the $100 laptop -- that which urged Bill Gates
say (to quote the just gentler part):
"The last thing you want to do for a shared use computer is have it be
something without a disk ... and with a tiny little screen,"
He also ridiculed the ways in which the computer is motored and the
brightness of the screen, suggesting that they use mobiles, or PDA's, or
tablets, or whatever instead.
What was that gadget he pulled out right after that discussion? Was that the
UMPC (Origami) or something expensive that predates the Origami's
announcement? Either way, the intent here is to sell people a computer for
cheap and rip them off over the years, feeding on their regular income
rather than initial cost of ownership/purchase.
"Sorry, teach, I ran out of coupons, so I couldn't finish my essay..."
Best wishes,
Roy
--
Roy S. Schestowitz
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