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Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) offered a bill to end Medicare, in response to Republicans complaining about the evils of government-funded healthcare. The Republicans all voted against the bill.
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John Gruber on the OS maker's bad situation. Apple has something like 90% of the $1,000+ computer market now. Microsoft is bragging—*bragging!*—that their market is made up of people who buy computers from office supply stores that they see advertised in Sunday circulars. Those things are toys; they'll break in a matter of months. This is a bad customer base for a business like Microsoft.
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Those things are toys; they’ll break in a matter of months.
Geez, lay off the Apple crack! Really, do you have any evidence for this statement whatsoever? What do you think would possibly cause computers sold in office supply stores to “break”? Have you even looked at them? There are a few off-brand ones, but they’re largely HP, Sony, Dell, etc. They’re not toys, and they’re no more going to “break” than any other computer you might buy.
Sure, Jim—I’ve bought just such systems, and I have way too many friends and family members who have bought them and then call me when they break. I was a Mac hater for a long, long time. I’ve built dozens [probably hundreds] of DOS, Windows, OS/2, and Linux computers from parts, most of those from used systems, to give away to disadvantaged kids. Almost without exception, the systems from office supply stores were garbage. The cases are made of low-grade plastic, the metal is weak, the screws strip easily, the parts are the cheapest OEM crap that they can dredge up from their suppliers. Those systems that sat by a window for as little as a year had the plastic reduced to a brittle beige eggshell. The soldering on the motherboards looked like I did it. When I opened them up, I’d almost always find that they’re not even designed to be opened—the parts were clearly mounted in the motherboard without the slightest thought for how an end user would open it up, with essential-to-remove screws tucked away where no screwdriver could possibly get to them, case flanges sticking out in ways that prevent a human hand from reaching in to access a drive bay.
Once upon a time, those were only the brand-X systems, but gradually formerly-decent makers cut their quality to cut on cost, in order to get on the shelves of those places: Packard Bell, Compaq, Sony, Gateway 2000, HP, and eventually even Dell tried to compete on price in a marketplace that didn’t—and doesn’t, mostly—care about quality.
It’s no surprise that cheap computers are poorly-made. That’s generally why they’re able to sell for so little. They’re disposable. That’s why they have sad little warranties and tech support in Pakistan.
Really, just pick up one of those $499 laptops next time you’re in Staples. Flex it slightly in your hands, or simply open and close it. Hear that squeaking and groaning? That’s the sound of a shoddily-assembled computer.