“Responding to a tidal wave of outrage, Sony has reversed a plan to charge $50 to remove all the pre-installed applications — often derided as ‘bloatware’ or ‘craplets’ — from its high-end TZ-series notebooks,” Rob Beschizza reports for Wired.
“Earlier today, PC World reported that Sony would charge $50 for a configuration option called ‘Fresh Start,’ which would not include the bloatware,” Beschizza reports. “When contacted by Gadget Lab, a spokesperson for Sony said that the company will now remove that charge.”
“‘There will be no charge for Fresh Start,’ said the spokesman,” Beschizza reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The question-with-no-good-answer still remains: Why buy an OS-limited Sony (or any other) PC when only Apple’s OS-unlimited Macs can run all the world’s software?
Direct link via YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJgtmPLYGEE
The answer to the question is simple. Apple doesn’t make a computer this small. Everyone misses the 12″ powerbook. And, the built in Sprint card makes internet everywhere. I covet a mac competitor, but it doesn’t exist.
@MDN
People might not want all the worlds software.
@JAYGEE
And Sony thought they could profit from that.
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This was a bad move for Sony. They were making money installing bloatware on their computers and people lived with it. Now people will have the option of opting out of the crapware install for free and there goes part of their margins… I wouldn’t be surprised if that option disappeared quietly in a couple of weeks.
@ Jaygee
Are you gay or just stupid? You know as well as I do that there are far more reasons to get a mac than just software. If you want to pinch pennies and deal with the crap that Wndows pc manufacturers force down your throat because they feel you are too much of a girl and/or complacent with all that crap, then get a PC. If you see a value in spending more money for far less hassle, get a mac. But don’t think for one second that your argument actually holds any water.
I agree with Traveler 100%
I also loath the glossy screens which cause eyestrain and headaches from annoying reflections.
I’m training in Windows now just in case Apple decides to make all their computers screens glossy.
First defection in over 20 years.
Apple just doesn’t listen sometimes, even when all the “glossy vs matte” polls show people prefer matte screens.
Some of us have to work with our machines, not watch movies on them.
Stupid Steve Jobs.
@ Mad Mac Maniac
Good luck, and don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out…
Back to the SONY/SORRY retraction:
If you read the release, it doesn’t say that they have removed the $50 fee.
It says that they won’t charge the fee if you upgrade to a $100 more expensive version of Vista.
If you won’t do that you have to take all the crapware or pay the $50.
Not really backing down in my book!
Zunetang
Mac Mad Maniac
Scheduler
anybody see mutant brethren?
@ Scheuldar
The Gay parade continues here. Whoever paid you is paying you too much now. Where exactly is OS X “Limited”? Where is Windows “unlimited? Nobody argued for one second that PC hardware manufacturers are “Limited” other than the respondents here like you. This article is about Sony charging for removing crapware on Windows that Windows sufferers have to deal with. Site your sources if you feel that Windows is truly full of features. Other than that we that are spoiled (Mac Users) would not stand for one second if Apple went this route and stuffed our computer with crap advertising. I would tell you and I am sure any mac user would say the same thing; I vote with my money, and if Apple decides to put crap on my machine that I don’t want, my money goes to another company. That fact that you totally avoided the main issue of this article means one of two things: you are retard and cannot comprehend what the article is stating or you are paid by a Windows proponent company that has a vested interest in marketing Windows. Either one of those solutions makes you a bad reference to listen to.
@kikamouse
You can’t think for one second that your answer actually holds any water?
@ Scheduler
@ Jaygee
I am absolutely a punk and a jackass. If you think I am anything else than you deserve the bruising. I repeat, you have completely avoided what this article has stated and made no point other than personal attacks. I ask again, site your sources.
I could care less what you think of my spelling or my methods, just site your sources and I will back down. until then you have just an opinion and nothing you said is a fact.
“MDN and other “fan sites” show once again that they are not objective and certainly not “news” sites – but simply a RAH RAH WOO HOO fanboy site….”
Gee, you’re a little slow. Why are you here?
That was a quick change of heart by Sony. I wonder if they also uninstall the rootkit?
“I wonder if they also uninstall the rootkit?”
Nice burn!
@kikamouse – I repeat, you have completely avoided what this article has stated and made no point other than personal attacks.
Are you serious? You said in your earlier post [Are you gay or just stupid?]. You’re just as bad.
@Scheduler
“MDN and other “fan sites” show once again that they are not objective and certainly not “news” sites – but simply a RAH RAH WOO HOO fanboy site….”
Well, since MDN just relays the articles from around the web such as CNN, PC World, CNET, etc, etc, I guess you are saying that all those sites are just fan boy sites??? LOL Please.
MDN provides a very useful service, they collect Apple related articles from around the world and present them in one place. Many of the articles are noted by readers (and so cited).
PS. if Apple can run all Windows software and Apple software, but regular PCs can only run windows software, then I would have to guess that those machines are limited in the amount of software they can run.
Just a thought.
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Yes I am. Prove your point by siting your sources
I’ve never understood why Sony or any one of those bigger Pee Cee manufactures don’t make their own iapps like an iLife suite to preinstall? I know Sony has a line of Winbloz softs but why don’t they make something along the lines of iLife or whatever and preinstall it or sell it at a reasonable cost? I might not be aware that they do offer this kinda package or is it possible that Microsux won’t allow it to happen as a breach of contract or something?
Mad Mac Maniac is Old Mac Man, that ranting retard who goes on and on about glossy screens. I guess we know what kind of pussy would switch to Windows over glossy screens. He Old Mac Man, why don’t you cut your balls off while you are at it. You won’t be needing them anymore.
Citing
standardmess:
Glad someone picked up that grammatical mess. I’m depressed about the standard of literacy on these sites. And yes, it really does matter.
@kikamouse – Yes I am. Prove your point by siting your sources.
You first
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Kickamouse,
If you want to make a point then do so but don’t just insult people because on the net you can get away with it. That’s just being a coward.
Scheduler,
If you’re going to insult someone then don’t just do it by insulting jackasses and lovers of punk music (like me). Do it the Australian way and let loose with all guns blazing. If you think kickamouse is only capable of kicking a mouse then just say so.
On the other hand if you think he’s a stupid low life shit-head who get’s turned on by his sister then just say so. There’s nothing wrong with letting loose when there are insulting people on the web.
Alternatively, if you think someone is a silly fsckwit then just tell them like it is.
Oh and kickamouse I don’t want you to think for one moment I would use such language to describe someone like you. I’d never use such language on the net. For you I’d need something unique; and frankly I can’t be bothered.
+1 for Walter Chillum, kickamouse dry humps dogs!
Oh my, the children are out in force. Parents, please set the parental controls and send them back to school!
@standardmess
@HueyLong
You give me hope.
I don’t like viewing on glossy screens, either, and I hope there will always be the option. But more and more I’m getting the sinking feeling that touch-screens must necessarily be glossy.
Is it true? If so, that’ll be a trade-off situation, as far as I’m concerned: easier to manipulate, but tiring to look at for long periods.
Sony needs to work on its marketing… badly.
Let’s charge people $50 for a service called “fresh start” where we do LESS work by NOT installing crapware. Yeah, I think our customers are dumb enough to buy it…
I have made no statement that requires any support.
I made an insulting comment in my original post. I agreed with every point against me. I have no problem with people thinking these things of me. What I do have a problem with are people making claims that are not true. Apple is not a perfect company. But I am surprised every day how these people come onto a mac site and not only complain about mac users, but misinform people. This can only mean that people like Scheduler have nothing better to do than to attack my grammar and completely ignore the original point.
so, a girl I know got a nice Vaio about a year ago as her home laptop, without asking me first what to get. She struggled for months to remove all the bloat ware that was funking up the machine, and not even allowing her to get online. Finally she sold it on craigslist and got a nice MacBook a few months ago and is super happy! The amount of time wasted with the vaio was substantial never mind the frustration.
I bought an external drive for my se/30 that had some extra software on it once upon a time, but it was mainly useful stuff.
@ kikamouse All I said was ‘People might not want all the worlds software.’
What do you want me to do, ask every computer user on the planet to see if this is true?
I have a MacBook and a 12″ PowerBook and agree with traveler that an updated 12″ is needed. Some time ago Apple decided to keep stock keeping units (SKUs) limited in order to improve logistics, inventory control, limit shelf space, etc. Now that its sales are up and its market share is booming, the policy NEEDS TO BE REVERSED. The matte point is valid; as I sit writing this with the window in the background I get reflection from the screen, which I don’t get with the PB. Also, I like the 4:3 ratio on the PB because of one-half inch higher screen height. So Apple should simply put out another MacBook, preferably ploycarbonate, in exactly the same form, and with a matte screen, or LCD for better battery life. I especially like the magnetic lid on the MacBook. As Apple expands its market share, it needs to offer more choice to the consumer: this in turn will help increase the market share. Having too foo skoos is foolish.
I will never buy a Sony product of any kind. Overpriced and ridiculously designed crap!
(Yeah, I know that last sentence isn’t a complete sentence, so sue me, grammar police!)
Add this to morespaceplse comment:
And a 12″ would help increase market share in Japan, where space is limited. And more useful on airplanes: it’s what we take on plane trips, not the MacBook.
Plus, there should be a hyphen in foo-lish.
Read my post in the Info Week Which Mac Should You Pick thread for my other 2 stories. Now, for the 3rd:
My friend Dan bought a Dull laptop back in July 2006 after my strong advice against it. I told him (obviously) to get a MacBook. He didn’t want to pay $1300 for the model I suggested. He insisted his $800 Dull would cost him just $800. After all the crapware add-ons, etc., he ended up paying $1500.
Fast forward to today: he took his laptop into BestBuy 3 times in the first year to have it “cleaned” because of crashes. Dull refused to give him a new one because there were no hardware issues – every problem was OS or software-related (but would freeze his machine). He has been without a laptop for 6 months now as it won’t even boot up. He is tired of reinstalling XP and is somehow still convinced that buying another PC would be cheaper than buying a MacBook. Sad.
Dell is the only major Windows PC vendor that provides customers with a Windows installation disk upon request. Unlike system recovery utilities, a Windows installation disk will not install crapware customers’ PCs. Sony should just forget about Fresh Start and provide customers with a Windows installation disk instead.
@ Scheduler:
You brought the attacks on by your first foolish, nasty, and completely ILLOGICAL comment,
OSX is NOT ‘crippled’ – Apple do not have to make it capable of running on CRAP PC hardware – why should they?
They do let you run every main OS on Macs – how is that ‘crippled’?
However, the Sony laptops ARE crippled – because they dont let OSX run on them.
How can you have missed the MILLIONS of arguments about the ‘Mac just works’ because its designed as a unit, and the PC has major issues because its all thrown together just before it leaves the factory?
If you think the PC isnt a crapshoot of a ragbag of parts and code – WHY are you registered on a Mac site?
You think we are all here to plan our conversion to WinCrap?
Or are YOU here to try to stem the tide of change that scares M$ and all its pathetic hardware partners so much?
You come across like a shill – thats why the response.
The original question?
Of course a Mac is a better option – it is capable of so much MORE.
Whats up Scheduler – did you think we were all going to praise the Sony – on a FRICKIN Mac site?
Idiot.
There seems to be some confusion about MDN being a ‘Mac Fan Bois’ site.
Cant imagine why the confusion – of course it is!
We are fans of Apple – its not a harmful thing – its fun and you get to use a BETTER computer.
Dont underestimate the PAIN of using Windows and then the PLEASURE of knowing that you dont have to.
IS this a Mac Fan Site? I bloody hope so!
Mac on that, PC dorks.
“Mac on that, PC dorks.”
NICE ! ! !
my head hurts from all the comments here today. use what you need to use, if you don’t care about yourself in the least bit of course you are a windows user. if you like the constant pain of pc nightmares of course you are a windows user. and since i am the for most expert on windows i would know. if windows is so big for you and you don’t want to use OS X then buy a mac with windows pre installed. since you are not concerned with hardware then a mac is just as good in your opinion. but you want buy a mac because every person that loves themselves and has a make tells you how great their mac is. then you feel like they are stupid for caring about a computer when you care about your acer or compact just as much. come on pc lover’s, you know, when you throw your tower to the ground because your printer won’t work, don’t have the right drivers again? DAMN!!!! I know, it happens to everyone, except mac users ( who keep their systems up to date and clean) I love how you windows lovers now have the opportunity to by a new computer, could get a mac to run your windows, but you won’t because of your ignorance, and your jealousy…… makes me wonder why i even get up in the morning, drive to the gas station to fill up the h2 and then head off to serve at my local IHOP as some guy in a honda and a suit screams about how shitty his life is because…. well, because he has no gumption and drives his wife’s car as he contemplates all day about ending his horrid life.
love, peace and serenity…..
please fill free to examine my punctuation, spelling, sentence structure and whatever else pisses you off about my post. I have to go deposit my $170 I made this morning, then go to work at the Hilton tonight, yes a-holes, serving tables, then drop another $150 or so in the bank again.
and yes, my 3 days in vegas were great, my 4 days of a honey do list was good too.
@ JAYGEE
If you are making a comment like that then yes. How can you represent what everyone wants? Some of you Winblows fans Make silly comments like “Windows is the better platform since there is more software” so now you argue the opposite to prove what? So if there are any sources you used to come to that particular conclusion I would love to see it or reference it if you would. but when a person that obviously wants to try to get a rise out of the mac community by making shallow comments gets a shallow response, I am surprised you expected anything else.
@Traveler
Actually not everyone misses the 12in laptops. I certainly don’t. I love my 15in and have never liked the small screens of the 12 and 13.3in laptops. Much to small for me. Would love a 24in but then portibility would be shot to hell (and that is where an external monitor comes in). So 15in is a good compromise I wouldn’t want any smaller.
How about a round or two of Kumbaya? Anyone? (cricket sounds)
“It says that they won’t charge the fee if you upgrade to a $100 more expensive version of Vista. “
Yup. So why bother?
Do what I did with my Vaio. Install Linux on it:
http://www.ubuntulinux.org/
(I’ve also tried a couple of FreeBSD distros that are aimed at the desktop. But they had less good support for the hardware out of the box.)
At the time I bought the Vaio, I’d already owned three OS X machines, but I had the crazy idea that I might need to run XP as well as OS X. (This was pre-Intel-Mac days.)
But, frankly, the Vaio has been more trouble than it was worth. And the greatest of its annoyances has been the issue of crapware. There was an inordinate amount of it; it took a ridiculously long time to remove; some really didn’t come away cleanly.
Unpardonable.
So now I run Linux on it. Ubuntu is not as attractive, well-designed or usable as OS X, but — unlike Windows — it is Unix-based. And it installs in just a few minutes and in a clean state with no crapware. I’ve never looked back.
That Vaio is the LAST Sony product I will ever buy.
I even avoid Sony BMG CDs — they don’t deserve to sell any after what they did with the rootkit.
A simply appalling company all round.
@ElderNorm
“MDN provides a very useful service, they collect Apple related articles from around the world and present them in one place.”
And pray tell, just what does whatever Sony puts in its PC’s have to do with Apple-related articles? Oh…. I get it! MDN has nothing to really report on so they invent “news” to keep you fanboys cheering and the ad revenue coming in.
MDN is no longer Mac Daily News. I’ve been reading it since it first appeared on the internet and it’s become nothing BUT a childish fanboy site. One of these days I’ll stop reading it because of that.
I miss the 12-inch mac. And I hate glossy screens. I do hope Apple smartens up and doesn’t make everything glossy. And I’d love it if they brought back a 12-inch screen on a laptop.
@Kikamouse: Your argument is simplistic. The reasons why people pick one system or the other are much more complex than the reasons you say.
Yes I indeed dry hump dogs, that and small barn yard animals, and my mom, i live in the basement of my parents house and I am a loser