This article was written on April 04, 2008 by CyberNet.
It wasn’t that long ago that it was next to impossible to pickup a new laptop for under $1000, but now you can regularly find them for just a few hundred dollars. And there’s no arguing that people are becoming more and more connected thanks to the Internet access proved by cellphone networks. When you combine the falling prices of laptops with the increased connectivity what do you get?
Well, there is some thoughts that this could lead to wireless carriers offering free laptops when you sign a mobile Internet contract with them. It would work much the same way as buying a cellphone, where you get the device for free if you agree to stay with the carrier for a few years. And breaking the contract would obviously result in an early termination fee.
Will this takeoff? I think it has a good possibility because it would mean that the customers could upgrade every 18 to 24 months just like with cellphones. There would, of course, be the higher-end laptops that you could pay for, but you would still receive a significant rebate off of the original price.
The wireless carriers wouldn’t really suffer from doing this because it’s likely that they’ll use the same tactics that are used when selling cellphones. By that I mean they’ll increase the monthly plan price to compensate for the cost of the computer. It’s really no sweat off their backs, and I’m sure plenty of businesses and consumers would love being able to upgrade their laptops regularly without any hassle.
The selection probably wouldn’t be the best, and so this likely wouldn’t appeal to me. What do you think though?
The Guardian [via Gizmodo]
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