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Wal-Mart to Offer Components for DIY Computers
FearTheFrail writes "Reuters reports that Wal-Mart is preparing to put "build your own computer counters" in 1200 of its 3200 stores, with plans to do so in at least 1400 by the end of the year. Maybe this will bring on an influx of new hardware enthusiasts, along with plenty of horror stories about attempted computer assembly. Do you think this will have an effect on the OEM parts market? And what about the operating systems to be offered? Will Wal-Mart shoppers migrate to Linux in order to save a hundred bucks or more, or will they even have the chance?"
The absolute, bottom-line Chinese component manufacturers will somehow make even cheaper and shoddier stuff, because that's what Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart's customers demand. Maybe we'll start to see hard-drives with no warranties at all, and power supplies that catch on fire after 20 hours of use.
In all honesty, I don't think that it'll have any impact on the market. The bottom-feeders that shop at Wal-Mart are exactly that: bottom-feeders. The computers that they previously would have purchased pre-assembled were all just loss-leaders, anyway. The same bottom-line manufacturers willing to make $1 per PC will be doing the same thing, but will instead be shipping the parts before going through the final screwdriver-assembly phase of manufacturing.
MOD THE TROLL THE FUCK UP!!!
"For some disposable items, such as baby formula & diapers, the WalMart brand is every bit as good as name brand items, costing nearly twice as much."
You mean, Walmart's best products are ones you buy for end users who would be unable to communicate any feedback concerning the quality of the product? Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head.
no fucking way i would feed a kid wall-o-caust brand formula. that's child abuse and it might grow an extra arm.
Snowden and Manning are heroes.
The dumbasses that shop at WalMart aren't going to know their ass from a hard-drive. These people will go in a few days before Christmas, buy a "NEW COMPUTER!!", buy a bunch of games (Windows games no less..), open it up on Christmas Day, find out Windows games won't work with Linux, get fucking pissed, take the computer back along with some buckshot for the electronics "associate" that sold them the computer; things will go progressively worse from there. Hey WalMart, stick to what you know best, selling shit to white-trash dumbasses. Selling computers WON'T FUCKING WORK.
....and I'm sure if you had any skills you would.
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