Re: Forget Mice... are you ready for subscription COMPUTERS?

On Sat, 3 Aug 2024 17:24:30 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:

On 8/3/2024 10:20 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

 
So, this idea has a little more meat to it. Computer manufacturer NZXT
(they make boutique gaming PCs) wants to make PCs with a subscription
(or perhaps rental) fee. Prices range from roughly $50 to $170USD per
month (plus initial shipping costs), depending on what sort of
computer you get. NZXT also promises "seamless upgrades" every two
years and 24/7 support
 
Read about it here: https://nzxt.com/collection/flex

Most notably, for what you're paying, you aren't really getting that
good of a machine. Their highest-end option would cost you over $4000
USD, and all you get is an i7-13700 CPU, a GeForce 4070, and 32GB of
RAM. That's not a /bad/ computer at all (it's pretty close to what I'm
using right now) but it's /waaaaaay/ over-priced for what you get.

Uh, wait a minute.  You have to _buy_ the computer and THEN pay a
monthly fee to keep it?

Why would I go for that when I can just buy the computer for less?

No. There is an initial shipping fee (I believe $50USD) followed by a
monthly rental (subscription) fee. In two years, you get a 'free'
upgrade to a better PC.

However, at $169 USD per month over 24 months (2 years) that comes to
$4,056. Which is incredibly overpriced for what you're receiving.

Of course, you /could/ 'cancel any time', so I guess if all you want
to do is play around with a moderately high-end gaming PC for a month
or two, the cost ($400) might be worth it. Except in the end you have
to return the computer and you're left with nothing. So maybe not.

I just don't see the Venn diagram of "people who can't afford a $2000
for a new gaming PC but somehow can still afford to spend $170/month"
being all that large.

Although maybe NZXT is betting on 'people who are stupid with their
money, only look at monthly costs and don't calculate how much it will
cost over the course of a year'. There's a lot of those sort around.