Apple's edge: fewer choices

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Like buying a house

I had a friend whose sister offered to buy her a new PC laptop as
a gift after she got her education MD. A month later she called
me at the brink of insanity asking for help. She just couldn't
decide on a brand/model between such a huge selection of
computers. The girl was approaching the whole thing as if she
was buying a house. We sat down with several configurations
from several stores and came up with a decision within an hour.
Now, unlike many of us frequent ZDNet readers, my friend is the
typical average computer user who doesn't have the time or
interest on digging into the world of computer specs. This is
why SO many people know they need a computer but due to
their technical ignorance they resolve in heading to the closest
tech store and buying whatever system the sales reps tell them
they should buy, which is normally whether the fastest, most
expensive configuration the sales rep can get a commission
from (too much power for the average user), or a cheap,
underpowered system (stores selling volume or in need to get
rid of a bunch of outdated computers). I used to work for Acer
Computers and even us tech reps had a hard time keeping up
with all the models and configurations.

I agree that choice (in a proportioned way) is good for the
consumer. I recently gave Apple a chance and bought a 15"
PowerBook. The whole experience was quite easy and even
though Apple offers only three PB models, you can configure
them in many ways according to your needs. Too much power?
Then just go for one of their several iBook models in different
sizes. The lesson I learned is that I'd much rather deal with fewer
models with more configuration options than the opposite.

Posted by: sergio@...   Posted on: 10/18/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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