The $200 PC has come, and it\u2019s good.\u00a0Really good.\u00a0In fact, I\u2019d venture an educated guess it\u2019s more stable than the average, novice PC\/Internet user\u2019s PC.\u00a0What\u2019s so good about it?\u00a0It\u2019s running Linux, and it\u2019s streamlined.<\/p>\n
Most PCs today are loaded down with malware, trial software and essentially unnecessary applications that slow down the PC from square one.\u00a0Add that to the fact that\u00a0many\u00a0most users will unwittingly become infected with spyware during the life of their PC (having fixed both my mom\u2019s and countless friend\u2019s and colleague\u2019s PCs, I can safely say that almost every non-geek I know is infected), and you have a silent invasion most people never even realize is slowing their system down.<\/p>\n
This is a boon for corporate computer repair like Best Buy\u2019s Geek Squad, and independent computer techs alike.\u00a0With around 77% of Americans having Internet access, almost everyone is online,\u00a0and there is (arguably) a collective feeling of frustration by many Windows users.<\/p>\n
Getting an Apple is the solution they probably think of first, but most would never buy one, probably due to higher price-tag and perception (Apple\u2019s perception is a quality, expensive, yet geeky product \u2013would Mr and Mrs. Smith in Anytown, USA really purchase that?) .\u00a0Many just need a PC for basic functions and web access.<\/p>\n
Linux systems are cheap, efficient, and don\u2019t come loaded with spam.\u00a0And the best part is, they are essentially spyware and malware free.\u00a0Did I mention that\u00a0WalMart has already sold out of these?<\/p>\n
From the article:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe system sold by Wal-Mart was an\u00a0Everex\u2019s TC2502 gPC\u00a0and is the first mass-market $200 desktop PC. The spec of the system is very low \u2013 1.5 GHz VIA C7 CPU embedded onto a Mini-ITX motherboard, 512MB of RAM and an 80GB\u00a0hard drive\u00a0– but this doesn\u2019t matter because the system does pretty much everything that your average PC users wants. With the gPC you can surf the web, send and receive email, work with word processor and spreadsheet documents, chat with friends, keep a blog updated, edit photos and pictures, even burn\u00a0DVDs\u00a0CDs thanks to the built-in\u00a0DVD\u00a0CD burner. About the only thing that your average home user won\u2019t be able to do with this PC is play games on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Microsoft and Apple have serious competition in the low-end market.\u00a0How they decide to answer will be interesting.\u00a0The issue here is for resellers and producers of these Linux PCs to demonstrate the stability and affordability of their product, and start to spread their brand.\u00a0I\u2019ve polled friends and colleagues who are educated people, and many of them don\u2019t even know what Linux is. There is an obvious visibility problem.\u00a0The right marketing campaign, which has both strong on and offline strategies, could be massive.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m really excited for the future.\u00a0Maybe this will signal the end of having to fix my parents and friends computers for the hundredth time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The $200 PC has come, and it\u2019s good.\u00a0Really good.\u00a0In fact, I\u2019d venture an educated guess it\u2019s more stable than the … <\/p>\n