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Technichi: Macbook Subscription Service

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Re: Technichi: Macbook Subscription Service

#51

Post by yeukhon »

dman wrote: post #25
nickconfer wrote: post #12

This seems like a difficult business to execute on. 1) You need capital to buy the machines to give out and slowly collect $60 on. Once the capital runs out, more is needed, but without getting capital quick enough, new customers have to be turned down, growth slows, and capital becomes even more difficult to acquire. 2) Since the tech and product can be easily purchased by anyone, there is room for other businesses…

In your opinion what is the difference between leasing a computer and leasing a car?

I find some huge difference as a user.

I don't have to drive if I don't have to. If I want to drive I can lease a car for a few hours or a few weeks. I don't have to change the car's interior. I don't need to install new software to match my taste. I pick up the key, unlock the car and I am ready to go on the road. I put all my personal accessories under a bucket so when I return I know I have everything in the bucket and ready to go home.

I may need a spare laptop for a day or two. But I have to download the software over again and again. I use Firefox, but I also need Chrome. I need to download Adium as IRC client. I need thunderbird to be my email client. I need iterm2 to be my terminal. I need to set up a bunch of things. When I return I need to make sure I have the laptop restored to factory state. But I am paranoid some data maybe kept secret? What if the computer comes with malware already?

If I need a Mac computer to do testing, this business is great. When I am done testing I can return the machines.

Re: Technichi: Macbook Subscription Service

#52

Post by sscalia »

sscalia wrote: post #46
dragontamer wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A $300 Dell Venue 8 Pro Intel Atom tablet is faster than a Macbook Pro of 4 years ago. http://www.anandtech.com/show/7263/intel-teases-baytrail-per...

Doesn't matter. Does Photoshop feel measurably faster on a 4 year old Macbook Pro vs. a new one? Does email? Does web browsing? Minus some spergy cases (PC gaming, 3d rendering, virtualization, etc) most computers are just fine for everyday tasks for a long while.

Someone didn't like "spergy"

Heh.

Re: Technichi: Macbook Subscription Service

#53

Post by cschmidt »

I hope that they offer next day replacement machines. As it is now, when my laptop dies, I go to the Apple store, they say it will take a week to repair so I buy a new one on the spot. I later get the old one fixed and give it to my son as a hand-me-down. I've done that twice now, but it isn't the most predictable way to always have a Macbook.

It would be kind of cool to be able to get a replacement machine by FedEx the next day, and stay current on my hardware. (They tend to last a bit longer than 2 years).

Re: Technichi: Macbook Subscription Service

#54

Post by dragontamer »

sscalia wrote: post #46
dragontamer wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A $300 Dell Venue 8 Pro Intel Atom tablet is faster than a Macbook Pro of 4 years ago. http://www.anandtech.com/show/7263/intel-teases-baytrail-per...

Doesn't matter. Does Photoshop feel measurably faster on a 4 year old Macbook Pro vs. a new one? Does email? Does web browsing? Minus some spergy cases (PC gaming, 3d rendering, virtualization, etc) most computers are just fine for everyday tasks for a long while.

Then get the $300 Asus Vivotab Note, instead of spending $60/month on a lease on a new laptop. Within 6 months, you'll have made your money back and then some (Especially since the $300 tablet can do everything a 4-year-old computer can do, while having superior battery life, significantly less weight, support of a Wacom Active Stylus and a touchscreen)

Yes, I have run Photoshop and Gimp on a $300 Baytrail Tablet. Yes, they work. I can personally verify that fact. On the other hand, I do notice significant performance increases when comparing these cheap, tiny computers against my beefy Desktop. Regardless, I speak from experience.

Benchmarks do not lie however, these $300 Baytrail tablets are faster than Macbook Pros from 4 years ago.

Regardless of how you slice it, computers depreciate significantly faster than cars. For those where "just enough" performance is good enough, you might as well buy these modern $300 netbooks / tablets than lease a top-of-the-line laptop for $60/month... unless you really throw away your laptops after less than 5 months of usage.

A brand new cheap computer is better than a top-of-the-line computer from 4 years ago. And for those who are chasing the top end, modern premium computers are released too often for this lease business model to make sense IMO.

Re: Technichi: Macbook Subscription Service

#56

Post by bananas »

dragontamer wrote: post #40
silverlake wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nor do laptops anymore.

A $300 Dell Venue 8 Pro Intel Atom tablet is faster than a Macbook Pro of 4 years ago. http://www.anandtech.com/show/7263/intel-teases-baytrail-per...

Nope.

That's a Core 2 at 1.86 GHz in a MacBook Air which is technically pants.

My 2011 2.7GHz i7-2620M MBP would destroy that in a second.

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Z3770-vs-Intel-Core-i7-2620M

Re: Technichi: Macbook Subscription Service

#57

Post by dragontamer »

bananas wrote: post #56
dragontamer wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A $300 Dell Venue 8 Pro Intel Atom tablet is faster than a Macbook Pro of 4 years ago. http://www.anandtech.com/show/7263/intel-teases-baytrail-per...

Nope. That's a Core 2 at 1.86 GHz in a MacBook Air which is technically pants. My 2011 2.7GHz i7-2620M MBP would destroy that in a second. http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Z3770-vs-Intel-Core-i7-2620M

And what a difference that 18-months makes in the line of computing, right?

Lets take a look at the Macbook Pro of 2010. http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Z3770-vs-Intel-Core2-Duo-P8600

Either way, progress marches forward rather significantly.

Re: Technichi: Macbook Subscription Service

#58

Post by auctiontheory »

nickconfer wrote: post #12

This seems like a difficult business to execute on. 1) You need capital to buy the machines to give out and slowly collect $60 on. Once the capital runs out, more is needed, but without getting capital quick enough, new customers have to be turned down, growth slows, and capital becomes even more difficult to acquire. 2) Since the tech and product can be easily purchased by anyone, there is room for other businesses…

You need capital to buy the machines to give out and slowly collect $60 on

That is a very generic argument that applies to (against) any leasing business - but clearly many such businesses exist, across many industries.

Re: Technichi: Macbook Subscription Service

#59

Post by auctiontheory »

bsima wrote: post #30
jareds wrote: post #11

Am I the only one who thought April fools? I could actually see this being useful if I was considering buying a new Mac as a way to test out different models for an extended period of time assuming I could get a one month lease.

I thought april fools also, but I'm really hoping it's true. My 4-year-old MBP has finally been outpaced by software speed needs.

I occasionally wonder whether to replace my 2009 MBP (upgraded to SSD and 8GB, naturally). What software finally vanquished your laptop?
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