Communication Breakdown
Communications from the world of, er, communications. And other stuff.
Tuesday 11 March 2008, 12:59 PM
Wal-Mart drops Linux PCs
It seems Wal-Mart, Asda's Stateside daddy, has dropped the Linux PCs it was selling due to lack of interest.
Last October the chain started selling $199 Everex "Green gPCs" bearing Linux, but Associated Press quotes a spokesperson as saying: "This really wasn't what our customers were looking for." Wal-Mart will continue to stock them online though.
Wonder what the problem was - marketing, I imagine, although perhaps I'm just being utopian in my outlook...
PreviousComments on this post
It must of been marketing, how can they say customers dont want a pc at such a low price that does everything they want and comes with all software applications they need. If you buy a windows pc you then need to buy and install MS Office as no salesperson will say btw you can download open office for free, perhaps this is also an issue and Wallmart dont want to sell it as it is not so lucrative.
Perhaps they were persuaded to drop it by a rival OS manufacturer. Very simple to threaten a price increase if Linux were to remain on the shelf. I know Wal-mart used to carry Mandrake Linux. I bought the last copy they had, and just a few days earlier there were 5 copies on the shelf. BTW, the cost of Mandrake Linux OS was #24.96. The rival OS was, and is $99.96
Ator, that's not far fetched, companies do these sort of back door deals all the time. Intel are currently being investigated by the EC, amongst their crimes; paying a manufacturer to delay rival AMD's parts!
