The End of Stickers and Crapware on Your New CPU

May 29, 2007

Dell has been in a reinventing state, first starting to use AMD processors in some of its CPU’s and now it is launching a line where you can get Ubuntu installed as your operating system. This is a huge step in the OEM market, and means several things for consumers.

For one it means the end of the “Microsoft Tax“, which is the extra $80 or so you have to pay for a copy of Windows when you buy a computer from a manufacturer.

The second large important step this brings is the end of all the crap ware and hidden partitioning that manufactures do to your new computer. This tactic started to earn an extra buck has gotten way out hand. When you get a new computer it is so bogged down with unnecessary software, that you really aren’t getting the fast computer you hoped and paid for. Additionally the recovery partitions are getting larger and larger, taking up more of your precious hard drive space. The only sure way around this is to format the whole computer, which isn’t likely going to be done by the novice consumer.

This third is a bit smaller, but still unnecessary. This might just mean the end of those stupid and annoying “Intel” and “Windows” stickers plastered all over your nice new shinny case. There are especially annoying on laptops because they usually stick them right where your palms go while typing. Yes easily removable, but really unnecessary. Windows owns the consumer desktop market, unfortunately, do we really need a sticker on the outside of every machine to remind us of that?

These changes from Dell will most likely mean other manufacturers will follow suite, maybe even trying to one up Dell with even something bigger. For me, it’s a fresh of breath air, and a much needed one. Consumers need, deserve, and want choice. Some companies have gone to great lengths to make sure that doesn’t happen. So when a major player like Dell steps up to put that power back in to consumers hands, it’s good thing. If Gateway wasn’t too scared to do it when people suggested it to them, it might have been the lifeline that company so greatly needs.