Wal-Mart to Offer Wal-Mart Notebooks 426
ducomputergeek writes "Cnet News.com is running an article that Wal-Mart plans to launch its own line of notebook computers. I wonder if these will run Lindows or XP. We've purchased a couple low cost boxes with no OS's for cheap file servers and they've worked pretty well."
Somewhat offtopic, but... PCs have gotten CHEAP! (Score:5, Informative)
I've always thought this would be a neat idea for corporations: Several fairly powerful servers, running everything from file sharing to groupware (on BSD or Linux, SMP, etc.). A bunch of cheap PCs with no hard drives and Knoppix-type CDs configured for the company's network. All files accessed via NFS, etc.
Talk about a) inexpensive solution and b) easy support. The computers are throwaways, and you don't have to move data from a broken one to a new one. It's all on the servers. But the computers are still powerful enough to do plenty of processing on their own.
Upgrades are a cinch - distribute new CDs to everyone.
With $200 computers (how much cheaper would they be without hard drives?) it's more than possible.
Hrm.
Re:Go XP (Score:1, Informative)
2) MacOS and "cheaper" in the same post sound like oxymoron. Steve Jobs gets a $1M raise, so Apple suckers better buy overpriced iPods, or the company is the dumpster.
I say this in all seriousness (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Maybe a Clevo? (Score:1, Informative)
Of the 3 my work bought 18 months ago, one has been returned for repair (new mobo) 3 times, one has been returned twice and the other is in the bin.
At least they were cheap I guess...
PR Release! (Score:1, Informative)
A new era in ultra-low-cost computer is being ushered in. In September 1998, a startup company calling themselves "eMachines" decided to rise to a challenge only Tandy had previously been able to truly accomplish: set the minimum for all computers produced from their inception on. Today, however, Wal-Mart announced [com.com] that they will indeed be creating their own ultra-low-cost microcomputers also. This is a shocking announcement that has truly rattled the industry, and eMachines has released a short press statement for all of its concerned investors:
Wayne Inouye, President and CEO of eMachines, has clarified our goal even further with this most recent announcement by rival mass producer of cheaply manufactured goods Wal-Mart [walmart.com]: "We will NOT be fazed by this ridiculous move by such a terrible, monstrous, top-grossing company like Wal-Mart! They cannot rival us, for our features at the lowest cost we can possibly churn them out at profitably are just unbeatable! For example, our newest eMachines laptop, yes, it is cheap too, comes STANDARD with USB 1.1! Over 1.1523 times faster than USB 1.0! In addition, you can easily purchase one of our wonderful value monitors in a bundle deal, which we guarantee has no more than 519 dead pixels! C'mon, folks, forget Wal-Mart, just run to Best Buy and pick up an open-box returned eMachines(for even cheaper!)." Further, we plan to release new machines in the spring. A new high-end feature may be AGP expansion slots, so stay tuned to the eMachines corporate investor newsletter for more on this groundbreaking announcement.
Wal Mart is already on the defensive, claiming that the new laptop computers will be "...the first stylish computers under $800 to include a smily face logo somewhere on the machine."
Incredibly, Wal-Mart says it may even venture to include an "...awesome, stunning, 11" XGAVGAVWGVA screen that provides more pixels(a full 480 by 320!!!) for a lower price and more letters!" The company also reportedly plans to offer a 15-inch model for slightly more, upping the resolution to a finely grained 640 by 480.
And in related news, SCO has released a statement that the aforementioned XGAVGAVWGVA screen may somehow have something to do with UNIX, and therefore they have filed a suit for 1,000,000,000,000 dollars, with Darl McBride drunkedly commenting "We's a' gon' takes dem' 'thar economy downs wit' us!"
The new machines will be offered the first quarter of 2004 for an as-yet undetermined price, not to exceed a price which would have at least 75% profitability, sources say.
And the manufacturer is... (Score:5, Informative)
They also get governments to steal land for them (Score:4, Informative)
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/968577/posts [209.157.64.200]2 d3b7fbf49b6df44390aa6459ab46c88&showtopic=3074 [americasdebate.com] o main.htm [orlingrabbe.com]
2 91.htm [badbusinessbureau.com]
e =UTF-8&q=walmart+alabama+eminent+domain&btnG=Googl e+Search [google.com]
http://www.americasdebate.com/forums/index.php?s=
http://www.wchstv.com/newsroom/qod/030929.shtml [wchstv.com]
http://freedom.orlingrabbe.com/lfetimes/eminent_d
http://www.badbusinessbureau.com/reports/ripoff67
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&o
Re:This is it (Score:2, Informative)
$9.94 a month..
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=
Though the access terms are kinda funny. They say first month free, 700 hours free then go on to say unlimited email and internet access.
Needs some clarity.
DRACO-
Not excellent (Score:4, Informative)
As if it wasn't bad enough that the wal-mart chain has destroyed downtown industry all over America in favor of big box stores, if a stateside business can't meet their price point they go with an import. So much for the effort to buy american that Sam Walton pushed when he was alive.
It is estimated that 7.5 cents of every consumer dollar (excepting auto purchases) go through the wal-mart's registers. They have such a dominant position that businesses can't afford not to do business with wal-mart. For many it is a lose-lose proposition.
I think there are many wasteful and incompetent american businesses that need to be put out of their misery, but wal-mart is decimating many a good business. Their impact on the US economy is such that we should question seriously the low price mantra.
Re:They can choose to not do bussiness with WalMar (Score:5, Informative)
It's hard to figure out who gets retrained in what way and how much. No system could be perfect. That Wal-Mart makes companies more efficient is not to be denied. That some companies don't adapt and go out of business, well, their workers and capital go into other businesses eventually, and the economy gradually becomes more efficient. If there were no unemployment benefits, the economy would become more efficient faster, but more people would suffer. If unemployment benefits were too easy to get and keep, the economy would progress more slowly. The trick is figuring out the best compromise. No one can ever know where that line is, and it keeps moving.
</LongWindedRamble>
Don't take this the wrong way, but... (Score:4, Informative)
What happens if, God forbid, you get hit by a bus, or a drunk driver, or if you were kidnapped by a marauding band of scantily clad amazons? How will your parents manage their new computer? Do they know how to do any administration tasks like installing software, or installing a new printer?
I don't wish this on anybody, but in a previous job, I had to create a "hit by a bus" book, so that other people could do any of the frequent admin tasks that they might need, in case I was ever incapacitated. Now granted, most of these things (new users and backup-recovery) are not needed on a home machine, but if you have to ssh into your parent's box for any reason, then it isn't parent-safe enough.
That being said, I've set my parents up with the most parent-safe setup I can imagine. Yes it cost a bit more than $500, but I know that they won't have to find someone who knows KDE or Gnome, or how to re-compile a kernel when they want to plug in a new digital camera. I got them an iMac, and I never have to deal with administration of their machine. It cost a bit more, but I don't loose sleep over worrying if it is working or not.
-- Len
Re:This is a Good Thing (Score:3, Informative)
You'd be mistaken. Compare these two very similar machines:
1.2 GHz Duron, 30 GB, 128 MB, No O/S [walmart.com]: $199.98
1.3 GHz Duron, 40 GB, 128 MB, Windows XP home [walmart.com]: $308.00
Looks like Walmart has to pay about $80 for the OS. Despite their buying power, Microsoft clearly has even more monopoly power.
Interesting side note: it was very, very difficult to find two models offered by Walmart similar enough to factor out the cost of Windows. I seriously doubt this is coincidence, I suspect that Microsoft still has illegal contractual restrictions in place to make it difficult for customers to assess the true cost of Windows.