Bloatware Removal Threatens PC Industry Profits 341
Anti-Globalism sends along a piece on how a consumer-friendly service is not so good for PC manufacturers. "Before they ship PCs to retailers like Best Buy, computer makers load them up with lots of free software. For $30, Best Buy will get rid of it for you. That simple cleanup service is threatening the precarious economics of the personal computer industry. Software companies pay hundreds of millions of dollars to PC makers like Hewlett-Packard to install their photo tools, financial programs, and other products, usually with some tie-in to a paid service or upgrade. With margins growing thinner than most laptops, this critical revenue can make the difference between profit and loss for the computer makers, industry analysts say."
Not sure how I feel about this... (Score:5, Insightful)
On the one hand, I think this is a sleazy practice and I'll be happy to see it go.
On the other hand, it's simple enough for someone who knows what they're doing to just reformat the computer with a fresh install of their OS of choice, so the discount you get on your PC for it is pretty nice.
I suspect that if this practice does die out, it'll mean the big guys are on slightly less uneven footing with the little mom & pop PC shops, so I guess that's always a good thing.
Your failed business model is not my problem (Score:5, Insightful)
The phrase 'Adapt or die' applies to corporations, too. The fact that people will pay $30 to have this crap removed should be telling you something.
Advertising (Score:3, Insightful)
The bloatware construes more advertising & product placement (literally, oddly) than a constructive service. This sounds a lot like getting a TiVo or the like in order to scrub commercials out of your favorite shows.
Do that many people really sign up for the full versions of the software that comes on their computers?
Simple solution (Score:3, Insightful)
Maybe the computers these days are too cheap. If you're not making enough money and this software is pissing people off, just remove the software and raise the price. It's not like most people are going to start building their own computers.
Remove the crappy software, raise the price, and sell the computer as a "premium" edition. People aren't going to stop buying computers.
Re:We call this the linux philosophy (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually I know a fair number of people who won't fly particular airlines if there's any reasonable alternative available because of the bad service they've gotten from them. It's obviously not unlimited, for instance they might be willing to pay an extra 10% to avoid the undesirable airline but not an extra 30%, but they will pay a certain amount extra not to have to deal with something they've had problems with before.
Re:Not sure how I feel about this... (Score:5, Insightful)
Speaking of Mom and Pops, I for one welcome this change (no memes intended).
I'm getting tired of having my mom and dad (not to mention the other umpteen dozens of people in my life who are in the same boat) call and ask what program xyz does, when I don't have their computer, have never heard of xyz, and can only make broad guesses as to the purpose of the program based on the name. I mean, sure, most are genuinely helpful, but it's not like computers come with big thick welcome guides anymore like they used to.
Anything that helps make life easier for my mom or dad when they get a new computer helps make my life easier as a side effect, and I'm okay with that. Plus, it helps us to figure out what's supposed to be there when we come over and work on their computers. Hopefully it will also be the end of my sister-in-laws complaining that their free game that came with their computer just closed on them and won't re-open... This always leads me to have this fun and exciting conversation
"Did you read the screen or did you just call me instead? ... ... ... ... ... ...
Uh huh, now read me what it says
Uh huh, so when it says you've played for an hour and you should now purchase the game, what does that mean to you?
Well I would guess that it was a free trial, to get you hooked, so that you will give them money. I would suggest that you get up and walk away from the computer though, as you'll need to come up for air instead of playing [the same bakery game with lots of different skins so it looks like a dog salon or whatever]
No, I don't know where to get the full version for free
No, I won't just 'make it work', you'll have to pay the $$$
Okay, well I'm at work, bye!"
Re:We call this the linux philosophy (Score:5, Insightful)
Sell PCs for the right bloody price then! (Score:3, Insightful)
The current policy is extortion on non-savvy users. It's like a car dealership filling your new car with trash and charging you to take it out again!
Drop the gimmicks, and get into selling PCs as a business. Get the markup right, make a profit, and compete. If people WANT to buy computers that are $30 cheaper and full of crap, that's their decision. Don't regulate it either way - do what the market can stand.
Even footing (Score:5, Insightful)
I suspect that if this practice does die out, it'll mean the big guys are on slightly less uneven footing with the little mom & pop PC shops, so I guess that's always a good thing.
I think we've also hit on one of the reasons Apple computers cost more than similar machines from Dell, HP, Lenovo, et al: Apple doesn't load down their Macs with a lot of third-party bloatware.
Re:Not sure how I feel about this... (Score:5, Insightful)
On the other hand, it's simple enough for someone who knows what they're doing to just reformat the computer with a fresh install of their OS of choice, so the discount you get on your PC for it is pretty nice.
Oh? How's that? I buy a laptop for business use. I am keenly interested in keeping on the safe side of licensing because I don't want the BSA jackboots on my back. I haven't bought a boxed copy of Windows so do not have an installer disk. The OEM media restores my drive to the same state as when I first brought it home.
I'm an IT guy and totally happy with do-it-yourself; I'm typing this on a system I built from Newegg parts. Still, it's not at all obvious to me how I'd clean up that laptop without involving The Pirate Bay or shelling out for official installation disks.
A company should never *use* its customers (Score:5, Insightful)
It is abusive for a company to take advantage of their otherwise simple business relationships with their customers.
When a company uses a customer's business relationship to gain even more money by selling that customer's information, by loaded unwanted software (that invariably kills the machine's performance), by inserting ads, or even subscribing them to mailing lists of "their partners," it all amounts to abuse of the business relationship outside of the desired results expected by the customer.
Any time a company annoys a customer, they risk losing that customer. Just because "everyone does it" is no excuse for doing so. Even my preferred vendors do this and while I have learned to live with it by not even powering on the computer in its default configuration in most cases, instead installing the OS from scratch, it is a lot of work that should be needless.
To be clear, the current culture of using or leveraging customers to make additional profits is bad for core business.
Re:We call this the linux philosophy (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:We call this the linux philosophy (Score:3, Insightful)
Reasonable service is also a factor when buying ticket...
Flying is like sitting on a collective toilet for several hours. And considering all security measures etc. today you start to be willing to pay at least for some comfort in the chair. Maybe the security measures are promoted by the airline industry to make people more willing to pay for comfort?
As for bloatware - I always nuke the standard installation and make a clean installation of Windows whenever necessary. The security risks and performance issues with bloatware makes it worthwhile.
Re:Flying (Score:1, Insightful)
Offtopic? Not if you consider it an analogy. Doesn't Windows and lots of other bloatware treat you like a criminal? Getting poked and prodded and moved along the airport assembly line while getting told this is what you need instead of getting what you want isn't analogous to getting your new computer preloaded with annoyances? Taking the car instead is a freedom thing, like installing Linux on your computer. The freedom to chose your path with cars are why in so many parts of the country that mass transit has never taken off and though the areas with lots of wide open spaces also influences that, those of us in some of those spaces are there because of the increased feeling of freedom we have there and one could say that it's analogous to more free space on your hard drive from not having it pre-stuffed with bloatware.
Parent, like those willing to pay to have the bloatware removed is obviously willing to pay more in costs as well as time to have some freedom. People voting with their money in either case, computer manufacturers and airlines as well as the government should take note.
Re:Your failed business model is not my problem (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Not sure how I feel about this... (Score:3, Insightful)
You can select what gets removed. If you like the google toolbar, go ahead and clear that checkbox. Wordperfect? I don't see that on the list. If you are talking about the trial version of Microsoft Office that stops working after 30 days, again: Only a retard wants that.
Re:Your failed business model is not my problem (Score:3, Insightful)
That's a ridiculous stance. By that stance, every retailer is responsible for every defect in the manufacturer's product, no matter what it may be. If I buy a new microwave from Wal-Mart, and it's nicked? Their fault!
This obviously isn't the case. It's what we have warranties for. If the product is faulty, that's a beef you need to take up with the manufacturer, not the retailer. If you want the retailer to fix the manufacturer's screw-up, there's no reasonable cause for it to be free. It wasn't the retailer who fucked it up, he shouldn't have to fix it gratis. If you want it fixed gratis, take it to the manufacturer.
bloatware on the Mac (Score:3, Insightful)
You're right in that I'm willing to sacrifice convenience for freedom, but I don't pay to have bloatware removed. I'm a Mac user.
What, you didn't get any bloatware installed on your Mac? I'm typing this on my Macbook Pro, and while I wouldn't exactly call all of them bloatware there are a number of programs installed I don't want. The first, which is bloatware, is MS Office 2004 for Mac Test Drive. Most of the iApps I don't use either, though I admit many others do. Aperture is there along with GarageBand. I might of tried Aperture, I'm a photographer, but I'm afraid it's trialware. But I don't work with music so GarageBand isn't something I need.
Falcon