3 ms·

Why doesn't someone just make: "A PC that doesn't suck"? Give me a beautiful PC in a small form factor with the parts I've requested and with a nice big monito

Why doesn't someone just make: "A PC that doesn't suck"? Give me a beautiful PC in a small form factor with the parts I've requested and with a nice big monitor. Also give me support that feels personal. Install Windows clean with the OEM version. That's it. As far as apps? Partner with base shield or just make an online app store where people can download what they want. PCs are a commodity item now. Shoes are a commodity item. Do to the PC Market what Zappos did to shoes. Good service and a clean experience.

pyre 17y ago
The problem with that from a support point of view is that there are a lot more things that can go wrong with a computer than a pair of shoes. Also it costs a lot more to do something like send the customer a new product under suspicious circumstances just to keep them happy and loyal. While PCs can be considered commodity at this point, the wholesale cost is still more than the wholesale cost of a pair of shoes. Update: Not to mention that I doubt that Zappos has to custom-build shoes (and the labor costs associated with that), though I've never done business with Zappos so I can't say that definitively.
- jasonlbaptiste 17y ago
  You don't have to translate tit for tat what Zappos does. Both businesses are different at a more granular level, but great service is a universal language. I know the guy at the local PC store on a first name basis. Why can't I have that same relationship with my PC vendor and not deal with yet another call center that is overseas? Why do I have to deal with 100 fucking SKUs at DELL that all have some random numbers? You know how Steve Jobs decided the Mac product lineup? A 2x2 grid: columns for desktop+laptop and rows for consumer+pro. Don't blame Microsoft so much. Blame the OEMs.
  - pyre 17y ago
    > Don't blame Microsoft so much. Blame the OEMs. I'm not blaming Microsoft for anything. In general computers have more points of failure, which means more support calls. While having a simpler line-up prevents you from overloading the customers with too much choice, you also end up in the boat where people will go elsewhere if one of your pre-built machines isn't exactly what they want. Apple has people griping about this stuff all the time, but people that want the 'Mac Experience' can't really go to Dell to get it. As far as a generic PC goes, they can just hop over to Dell to get it. Though I guess you could get around this by offering customization options that Apple doesn't have, but then you run into additional labor costs (which a larger competitor like Dell might be able to cut significantly).

pyre 17y ago

The problem with that from a support point of view is that there are a lot more things that can go wrong with a computer than a pair of shoes. Also it costs a lot more to do something like send the customer a new product under suspicious circumstances just to keep them happy and loyal. While PCs can be considered commodity at this point, the wholesale cost is still more than the wholesale cost of a pair of shoes. Update: Not to mention that I doubt that Zappos has to custom-build shoes (and the labor costs associated with that), though I've never done business with Zappos so I can't say that definitively.

jasonlbaptiste 17y ago
You don't have to translate tit for tat what Zappos does. Both businesses are different at a more granular level, but great service is a universal language. I know the guy at the local PC store on a first name basis. Why can't I have that same relationship with my PC vendor and not deal with yet another call center that is overseas? Why do I have to deal with 100 fucking SKUs at DELL that all have some random numbers? You know how Steve Jobs decided the Mac product lineup? A 2x2 grid: columns for desktop+laptop and rows for consumer+pro. Don't blame Microsoft so much. Blame the OEMs.
- pyre 17y ago
  > Don't blame Microsoft so much. Blame the OEMs. I'm not blaming Microsoft for anything. In general computers have more points of failure, which means more support calls. While having a simpler line-up prevents you from overloading the customers with too much choice, you also end up in the boat where people will go elsewhere if one of your pre-built machines isn't exactly what they want. Apple has people griping about this stuff all the time, but people that want the 'Mac Experience' can't really go to Dell to get it. As far as a generic PC goes, they can just hop over to Dell to get it. Though I guess you could get around this by offering customization options that Apple doesn't have, but then you run into additional labor costs (which a larger competitor like Dell might be able to cut significantly).