(no subject)

[theweaselking]

Premise: a user prefers Tablet PCs and XP Tablet over Vista Business.

Machine A: a Tablet. From a notable and well-known computer manufacturer. It runs Vista. XP Tablet is not available and XP drivers are not available for the hardware. It has no CD drive at all.

Machine B: a Tablet. From a notable and well-known computer manufacturer. Just slightly less well-known. It runs XP Tablet. It is faster, has the same RAM, a larger screen, weighs less, more HDD space (and a MUCH faster HDD), a better graphics card, same battery life, a DVD-rewriter, and accessories like a carrying case, bluetooth mouse, etc all included. It's also six hundred dollars cheaper.

When given a full breakdown of both of these things, which one does the user choose?

Comments

[silmaril.livejournal.com]

I suspect you wouldn't ask the question if the answer was the obvious, so I'll just say "Can I have the second one, please?"

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

ASUS R1F-K016T, with a few modifications (extra RAM, bigger, faster HDD, original HDD slapped in an enclosure to give us a spare 80GB USB drive)

AAAAASSSSUUUUUSSSSSS!

[jackoutofthebox.livejournal.com]

WHAT CAN'T IT DO? mmmmmmmmmm!

[jerril]

We wants it, precious.....

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

$2500

[jsbowden.livejournal.com]

The more expensive one of course. If it costs more, it HAS to be better.

Users are fucking idiots, which is why we no longer ask them to pick a machine, we order one that meets their stated needs (which we do get from them first).

[mhoye.livejournal.com]

The answer would be "the one that makes your life difficult", no doubt.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Neither one makes my life difficult. It is neither my money nor am I responsible for approving or tracking spending, and at least this isn't another goddamn mac.

[fearmeforiampink]

Though there are still occasional rumours about the coming of the tablet mac.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

And when it arrives, it will cost ten thousand dollars, you'll be required to purchase new hands separately to make the tablet portion work and those hands won't work on anything except the tablet - and then, only intermittently. None of the software will work as advertised, the machine will be greatly underpowered for the price *and* will underperform for it's actual specs because the software will suck.

In short, it will be a Mac.

[cmseward.livejournal.com]

Well, given the choices, the user *should* probably choose machine B. But the cynic in me is alternating between screaming "What's the catch?" and "There's no way the user was bright enough to choose that if John is actually posting about it."

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

If they'd chosen option B, indeed, there would be no story.

[neobitch.livejournal.com]

I'm assuming the reason you're posting this is because, after informing them of all this, they choose Machine A, thereby assuring repeated applications of your forehead to your desk.

I sure would like that second one, though. What's the final pricetag, I wonder?

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

$2473+tax.

[geek86.livejournal.com]

I don't know, can't you just Photoshop it?

[lafinjack.livejournal.com]

Needs more pixels.

[dolston.livejournal.com]

Given your user complaints I am surprised they didn't order both and use a hot glue gun to stick together the parts from each thay they prefered befire taking it you becuase Frankentablet is not operating the way they want.

[soappuppy.livejournal.com]

Indeed, if they had chosen option B there would be peace and harmony and fewer head-shaped dents in the desk.

I stopped offering my users option A a long time ago. They hand me their requirements, I come back with one (count it, one) option. If they like it, fine. If not, I go away and come back with the same option over and over until they realise that they like it. :)

*patpat*

[mrbankies.livejournal.com]

They chose A, obviously. Stupid Users. /kicks user/

[ryusen.livejournal.com]

A of course!

it's like the old, "no one ever got fired for choosing IBM" adage.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

What do you mean, "like"? A is an IBM machine.

[ryusen.livejournal.com]

haha.. laf... even better!

[prk.livejournal.com]

Good choice then.

prk.

(Thinkpad fan).

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Whereas I've used and had to fix too many Thunkpads to like them. And this isn't a Thunkpad, regardless.

[drjon.livejournal.com]

Obviously there must be something wrong with Machine B, as they have to throw in all that stuff in order to sell it... ;}P>

[mcfnord.livejournal.com]

Here's the sweet cheap tablet p.c. (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/technology/circuits/04pogue.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin)

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

That's a laptop, not a tablet.

And it's completely, totally, utterly underpowered for what my clients use their machines for.

[mcfnord.livejournal.com]

did you watch the video?

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Not this time. Is it actually a touchscreen with the ability to flip and fold down into a tablet? The article doesn't mention that, and the previous articles on the topic haven't mentioned that. If so, neat, but, uh, whatthefuck? Just a little bit of feeping creaturism, there.

(and it's still way, way, way, way, way underpowered. I plan to buy one for myself, because, dude, it's AWESOME, but I don't plan to advocate it as a useful plan to my clients for anything other than a tax-deductible awesome thing. In fact, I'll probably buy two, and mail one to my nephew.)

[mcfnord.livejournal.com]

the flipdown might come near-free. the coolest tablety p.c. i made was just a notebook cracked in half with an external keyboard. putting the hardware in the screen portion does this by default. thanks for sharing your business constraints w/ me. internet: it's about the sharing.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Heh. It's not "business contraints" to admit that more than a gig of HDD is necessary, nor a faster processor, nor the ability to run arbitrary programs. That's not so much "business contraints" as "necessities for anything beyond a simple browser/word processor".

But I understand what you mean.

lols

[mcfnord.livejournal.com]

"This is your Combating Terrorism Office for D.O.D. asking you to kindly stop now please (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/us/04secure.html)."

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

#1: That was in regards to many "reply-to-all" responses to a 7500-member list.
#2: "To the American D.O.D.: Go fuck yourselves. Sincerely, those from completely different countries, where people are sane."

[mcfnord.livejournal.com]

administrators may not be technical writers. i thought their request showed grace.