Bare machines again
The PC Worlds of this planet don't sell bare machines because :-
1 It would cut into their profits,
2 They have a cosy marketing relationship with M$ and Apple, where both profit,
3 Next generation PC sales push sales of the latest OS versions, and vice versa, need them or not,
4 And provide an opportunity to load machines with all the data-sucking bloatware they can find.
5 Most consumer purchasers (NOT El Reg readers) would not have a clue about installing an OS from scratch, never mind having the faintest idea that there are perfectly good alternatives to M$ and Apple out there.
The fact that there are lots of suppliers of bare systems out there is of relevance only to those who know, and have clearly defined system requirements. And some pretty uncommon technical skills as well. These are not the people who suddenly have to get a new laptop because their student son sat on his after a night on the booze.
Sad but true. I don't like it, but I can see why Sony won. I'm happy to be in the small minority who can build their own machines - and load Linux - and I expect it to stay that way for a long time yet.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
