At 07:43 PM 02/01/2007, Wayne Johnson wrote:
At 05:41 PM 1/2/2007, Thane Sherrington typed:
In the latest Consumer Reports here in Canada, they have a blurb on
"The hidden costs of a new laptop" - "Don't for get to add in the
prices of a padded carrying case ($50 and up), extra battery
($100-$200), spare power adapter ($80 and up) and usb mouse
($30.) Your laptop's price tag often does not include these essential extras."
Well of course it doesn't. They aren't essential - other than
possibly the case. The extra battery could be useful in some
unusual circumstances, and I guess one could use an spare power
adapter if one lost the original, but a mouse? Come on. Plus a
USB mouse can be had as cheaply as $20.
I've used a laptop as my primary computer for about three years and
all I have from this list of "essentials" is a carrying case
($30.) I'm not trusting Consumer Reports anymore when it comes to
making purchases.
Just because the recommend a little more? FWIW I use all these
extras. I have a PS plugged into a port replicator at home & another
for travel. The same applies for an extra battery as
But they aren't saying they are extras - they are calling them
"essentials" and suggesting that somehow you are being ripped off if
they aren't included in the price. That's BS. A case is pretty
important. The extra battery and power adapter are useful, but
aren't essential. I can't see the mouse even being worth having -
the touch pads work really well.
reasons I don't travel as much as I use to but when I did I was sure
glad that I had that extra stuff plus media & extra other cables
such as USB & 1394. Now if I'm just using it around the house I
could easily do without the extras so are they talking about for the
Road Warrior or like my little brother that takes his to work so he
can check out eBay when he's bored because he doesn't know diddly
about computers.
Perhaps they are essential for people who must have the mobility, but
that's not they way they are stating it. It's not honest to call
something essential when it's only essential in a specific
circumstance, or is just a nice extra to have.
T
