Slashdot Mirror
FIC Condor Small Form Factor Reviewed
VL writes "A gamer's best friend? That's FIC's catch phrase, and we take them to task in our latest review. 'FIC put together a nice little barebone PC, but missed on some important features that enthusiasts have come to expect. While it's no slouch in gaming, it does not stand out in the performance department which is a shame as the design itself was well thought out.'"
Who cares if it's a nightmare to upgrade/repair?
Computers are heading in the same direction all household appliances have gone: fixed-function and disposable. Ignoring all the environmental concerns and whatnot, this is inevitable. It wasn't really all that long ago when a TV owner was expected to replace tubes in their TV as casually as we replace ink cartridges in our printers. Now TVs end up in the trash when the power switch breaks.
Using the "mom test", I've had my mom add memory and swap cards/drives in her computer, and she's recently even done it without my direction or assistance. Non-technical people can do this stuff, it's just that they don't want to. Most people just want their computer to work, and, when it doesn't they want to be able to buy a cheap replacement because their time is too valuable to bother fixing it.
I'm not advocating this trend, but it's obviously the choice of the bulk of consumers. You are going to be fighting a losing battle if you try to stop this.