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.

The Art of Making a Retail Profit Selling Macintosh Desktop Computers is a post from: Computer Spot

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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.

The OS can also provide a graphical user interface for higher functions. Essentially, the OS forms a platform for other system software as well as application software.

The operating system is the most important program that runs on a computer. Without an operating system, your computer would not work. It would not be able to process requests for print, simple calculations, or any other function. It is really the brain that runs the equipment.

For larger system, the OS has great responsibilities than with a PC. In larger systems, the operating system is kind of like a traffic cop.

It makes sure that different users and programs running at the same time on different systems don’t interfere with each other. It also acts as a security guard making sure that unauthorized users are not able to access the system.

There are four classifications of a computer operating system. They are:

• Multi-User: Allows two or more users to run programs at the same time. Some operating systems permit hundreds or even thousands of concurrent users
• Multi-Processing: Supports running a program or more than one CPU
• Multi-Tasking: Allows more than one program to run concurrently
• Multi-Threading: Allows different parts of a single program to run concurrently

Real Time: Responds to input instantly. General-purpose operating systems, such as DOS and UNIX, are not real-time.

Operating systems provide a software platform on top of which other programs, called application programs, can run. The application programs must be written to run on top of a particular operating system.

Your choice of operating system, therefore, determines to a great extent the applications you can run. For PCs, the most popular operating systems are DOS, OS/2, and Windows, but others are available, such as Linux.

In any device that has an operating system, there’s usually a way to make changes to how the device works.

This is far from a happy accident; one of the reasons operating systems are made out of portable code rather than permanent physical circuits is so that they can be changed or modified without having to scrap the whole device.

What is an Operating System ? is a post from: Computer Spot

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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.

This article will show you how you find your computer help.

1. Remember the help files ?

It sounds funny, but people seem to forget that every computer and every program installed on a computer comes with its own help file. Even the operating system of a computer has a help file and it really should be the first place to look for computer help.

Help files are designed not only to guide the usage of a computer, they’re also designed to solve problems. Inside a help file, look for a section called, “Troubleshooting” (or something similar) when you need to resolve an issue. This section is reserved for solving problems specific to the software or hardware that you’re using.

2. Product websites

If you’re having a problem with a piece of software or with a hardware part, try the website of that software’s or hardware’s manufacturer.

Most (if not all) manufacturer’s reserve a portion of cyberspace and dedicate it to support the products that they build. Microsoft’s help desk is good example.

3. Fan sites

Fan sites probably aren’t a good name for this resource, but you can find websites that are dedicated to supporting the users of a particular software program or piece of hardware.

We call them “fan sites” because the maintainers of these sites have no affiliation with the manufacturers that they support!

Call them what you will, but their free help is immeasurable and without it, we wouldn’t have some of the wonderful workarounds and unique problem solving techniques that we have today.

4. Forum or Community
   

You can join an online forum that is related to computers so that you can ask any computer related question you have.

You can search sites such as Google or Yahoo to find computer forums. Usually, computer forums are dedicated to the most popular topics, such as: computer systems, operating systems, hardware manufactures, and individual software programs.

Sometimes, the representatives of these companies participate, but most of the time, the support in these groups are user to user, which is just as valid because you’re working with a team of experienced people.

Beside forums, there are communities where you can ask a question about your problem. One of it is yahoo answer. All you need to do is click on the computer category and post your question. The people who have experience with your problem will then be able to help you solve it.

5. Support Lines

Another source for computer help that we shouldn’t forget is the support systems of various manufacturers. You can reach these systems by calling the phone number associated with the product that is causing you trouble. Calls may be free (1-800 or 1-877 number), or they may cost a small fee (1-900).

6. PC support groups or user groups

There are computer support or user groups that meet regularly in libraries, computer stores or other local areas. They come together to discuss all sorts of issues related to a particular product.

Even if you aren’t experiencing a computer or software problems, user groups are fun to participate in and they can help you network into other interests such as job or teaching opportunities.

7. Sales Person at your local computer store

Surprisingly, you may even get a helping hand from the salesperson at your local computer store. We don’t recommend that you make this your first pit stop when you experience a problem; however, don’t rule this option out altogether.

Computer salespersons are hired for a reason – their knowledge. Often, these kind folks will help you resolve an issue over the phone and prevent you form having to buy a costly solution.

As you can see, finding computer help is easy to find – provided you know where to look for it.Most of the contacts within these resources are extremely friendly and willing to take the time to walk you through a problem at little to no cost.

Computer Help – Where and How to Get It is a post from: Computer Spot

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.

In this post, I am going to give you a brief overview of passwords and some suggestions for choosing passwords that will help keep those cyber thieves at bay:

What is a password? A password is a set of characters, in a specific sequence that is usually case sensitive. Passwords are used in various protected internet/computer accounts, and together with the unique user name or ID, it confirms that the user or person trying to access the account is, in fact, the account holder.

The user name or ID is normally displayed or shown in the log-in box or in the pages of the account; but, the password is supposed to be known only to the account holder or owner and the system that runs the account.

The minimum and maximum number of characters in a password depends on the system set and normally consists of letters (upper and lower cases), numbers and other characters (like _ or ?). As the password is typed in, it appears only as asterisks (***) in the space provided so that its secrecy is maintained.

Choosing the best password. Now that you have an understanding of what a password is and how it functions, it’s time to discuss how to choose the best password to protect your accounts and enable them to withstand any attempts from hackers to access your information.

1. Don’t use a password that is in the dictionary

There are password cracking software programs out there that can determine the exact one in seconds. This rule includes not using domestic or foreign dictionaries.

2. Don’t use a password that used on your other accounts

If you do and a hacker gets access to one account he/she will then have access to ALL your accounts. And that, my friend, can spell disaster!

3. Don’t use commonly used passwords

Again, you want to make sure it is very difficult for someone to figure out your password, so don’t use something like “12345678.”

4. Don’t tell anyone your password

This should be obvious; but, a lot have people have been tricked into giving their password away over the phone or “phishing” sites, so be careful. Legitimate website companies (PayPal, banks, etc) will NEVER ask your password, so don’t get fooled.

5. Change your password often

Set up email or other reminders (or mark your calendars) so you don’t forget to change your emails often – at least every 3-6 months.

6. Don’t use passwords that are associated with you

It is important not to use passwords like your maiden name, place of birth, social security numbers, children’s names or phone numbers. You want to make sure the password is as difficult as possible to figure out so use a mixture of upper and lower case letters, numbers and other symbols allowed by the system. For example, use a password like “miG67Ped.”

Using a password like the example would take a long time for a hacker to guess and would most likely cause the hacker to just leave and move on to the next target.

Having said that, try and create a password that you will be able to remember. One way to do this is to associate the words and numbers with easy to remember words, dates or names. You could also save your passwords on a CD or USB and copy them as needed into the log-in form. Just remember to keep all password records offline.

In conclusion. Passwords are like the secret key to a secured internet/computer account. Do your best to make sure passwords do their job and make it as difficult as possible for cyber thieves to steal your account info and possibly your “life.” (i.e.: your identity, back account, etc.)

The Key to Your Account: choosing the Best Password is a post from: Computer Spot