Computer Spot

They say that Apple has a healthy 60% profit margin on the iPhone; that’s quite a tidy sum to be making on those expensive phones at a time when mobile phone makers are going out of business.

But Apple does that because its Macintosh desktop computers and laptops sell on wafer thin margins, even when sold on their own website and stores.

What chance do other big-box retailers like Best Buy or Wal-Mart have of making a packet when they sell Macs, if Apple itself is selling them at practically no profit?  Well, they try the  art of the upsell.

What exactly is upselling? Let’s say you just bought a car, and after the first thousand miles, you take it in for its first mandatory oil change.

A clerk suggests that you opt for the premium rustproof paint protector finish while you’re at it, that’ll cost a mere $99, and protect your car’s finish against the salty air of your coastal city. Selling you $20 detailing for $99, more than covers their costs for a free car servicing.

That’s up-selling, getting you in the door for something reasonable, and then piling unnecessary extras on top of it. That’s what Best Buy has been doing to make Macintosh desktop computers a little extra profitable. Best Buy’s Geek Squad are selling Mac optimization packages and overpriced extended warranties.

The very concept of an extended warranty is a bit of an anachronism; it dates to a time when devices and appliances were very expensive to buy, and were simple to repair. These days, electronics are mostly disposable goods; they sell cheaply, and buying new is often cheaper and more desirable than seeking repair service.

But for people who grew up in an era when the electronics were expensive and enjoyed long service lives, it is hard to get used to the new idea of disposable electronics.

These are the people that the extended warranty sellers aim for to make a quick $200. Best Buy now sells these practically useless contracts, and also sells optimization for $40.

A computer, especially a computer as famed for ease of use as  Macs are, do not need any optimization. The service includes hard drive checking, installation of antivirus software, and checking the hardware. Typically, this is useless work.

Macintosh desktop computers are not Windows PCs;  they do not really need antivirus software, as virus attacks on a Mac are practically unheard of. In fact a Mac user with even a little experience at his computer would be actually offended by the very suggestion that antivirus software was needed.

And a new computer does come checked for hardware faults, there seems to be no point in getting it done again at the store.

It is just very unfortunate, but the major retailers have to scratch about for a few extra bucks and compromise on the integrity of their relationship with the customer for it. Not only do they end up shortchanging the customer, they make the product look bad too. Talk about short-sightedness.

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Every computers have an operating system. What is an operating system ? An operating system – commonly referred to as an OS – is a set of computer programs that manage the hardware and software resources of a computer.

The OS processes electronic devices with a rational response to commands that are approved by the system.

At the foundation of all system software, an operating system performs basic tasks like controlling and allocating memory, prioritizing system requests, controlling input and output devices, facilitating the network, and managing files. Read the rest of this entry →

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Have you ever found that your hardware was not working properly? Or may be you installed software but the software was not working? You feel that you have done the instruction from the manual but it still had a problem.

Well, there’s no denying on it – No matter how new or how well maintained our computers are, we all encounter computer problems sooner or later.

The good news is that we don’t have to face them alone. There are a ton of resources available to walk us through computer help but it may take a little knowledge in knowing how to access them. Read the rest of this entry →

As we are all aware, the internet has really changed the way things are done in today’s world. In particular, most of us make very important and secure transactions using the internet; like paying for purchases, banking and transferring sensitive documents and other files online.

With the increased use of the internet, there has been an increase of cyber thieves who have developed techniques to crack the passwords and hack into people’s personal information. Unfortunately, many times the account owner is to blame because the password isn’t strong enough to ward off the “hackers” trying to break in. Read the rest of this entry →