It’s a bad sign, when other people are creating business services and products to FIX your product! Yet, that’s exactly what Microsoft has done!

I was in Staples the other day, and was reminded how slow, unreliable, and just generally annoying PC’s are when I saw a sign about their offer of a FREE tech service to “tune up” your PC.

Here’s an excerpt of what they’re offering:

We’ll boost the speed and performance of your PC by removing trial ware, adjusting key settings that may be slowing it down, and disk defragmentation and cleanup. When done in store, a PC Tune up also includes removal of dust and dirt buildup.

First, Staples sells PCs loaded with “trial ware.” This offer of service implies that trial ware is bad and slows down your computer. Why not just sell computers without trial ware?

Second, is it that easy to adjust key settings, and are these “key settings” so bad that they’ll slow down your PC? Why aren’t these settings set right before I bring the computer home? If they are set right, why is it so easy for me to change them, thereby effecting the speed of my computer?

Third, who doesn’t know how to defragment their disc? And here’s a better question… why should I have to anyway? You don’t have to with a Mac…

The second reminder came when I was called AT HOME by a McAfee customer service person from INdia, about renewing my McAfee subscription for an old laptop. Again, this is a whole other spinoff of services and products all because of how poorly PCs operate.

I’m not bashing Staples or anyone else. I just can’t understand why anyone would want to use a PC.

“But Mac’s are so expensive…” you say?

Consider the costs of renewal subscriptions, technicians, anti virus, anti spam, firewall software, all aimed at protecting the vulnerable PC. By the time you add all of the costs up, including all of your wasted time, you could have just bought a Mac.

Here’s a great place to buy a new one. Check it out here: www.macofalltrades.com.