Comments on: The New Subscription PC Model http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/the-new-subscription-pc-model/ Upgrade Your Lifestyle Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:24:37 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Scot Case http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/the-new-subscription-pc-model/#comment-54829 Scot Case Tue, 17 Jul 2007 09:24:09 +0000 #comment-54829 Just a quick clarification -- Zonbu is not the first EPEAT Gold desktop. That honor belongs to HP, although HP's machine is clearly targeted towards business users. Zonbu can be more accurately described as the first EPEAT Gold desktop focused exclusively on the consumer market. Despite the clarification, Zonbu is clearly a stellar environmental achievement and a heck of a product as well. Just a quick clarification — Zonbu is not the first EPEAT Gold desktop. That honor belongs to HP, although HP's machine is clearly targeted towards business users. Zonbu can be more accurately described as the first EPEAT Gold desktop focused exclusively on the consumer market. Despite the clarification, Zonbu is clearly a stellar environmental achievement and a heck of a product as well.

]]> By: Elwin Andriol http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/the-new-subscription-pc-model/#comment-54828 Elwin Andriol Mon, 16 Jul 2007 11:55:54 +0000 #comment-54828 Although this initiative is very applaudable in the way that it's a viable alternative to many energy guzzling computers and it points to an often neglected but key problem of computers (energy consumption), most of these subscription type of deals have been tried before and all have failed.<br /> <br /> At this moment the Zonbu is pretty unique and there are not many comparable hardware platforms around for end users. However, this will change pretty rapidly. At the moment MSI is already selling a hardware platform that is almost the same (the Zonbu uses a Cutebox platform which uses a near identical main board), for around 130 Euros at my local supplier (The Netherlands). Link:<br /> <a href="http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=proddesc&prod_no=1100&maincat_no=134&cat2_no=&cat3_no=" title="http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=proddesc&prod_no=1100&maincat_no=134&cat2_no=&cat3_no=" target="_blank" ref="nofollow">http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=proddesc&p...</a><br /> <br /> I wish the lads of Zonbu a lot of luck and I do like the way the advertise their product. Nevertheless, I also think that their business model will be surpassed left and right by less depending alternatives as soon as compatible hardware becomes available to the main stream, which can happen very soon with the current political attention for energy consumption in general. Although this initiative is very applaudable in the way that it's a viable alternative to many energy guzzling computers and it points to an often neglected but key problem of computers (energy consumption), most of these subscription type of deals have been tried before and all have failed.

At this moment the Zonbu is pretty unique and there are not many comparable hardware platforms around for end users. However, this will change pretty rapidly. At the moment MSI is already selling a hardware platform that is almost the same (the Zonbu uses a Cutebox platform which uses a near identical main board), for around 130 Euros at my local supplier (The Netherlands). Link:
http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=proddesc&p...

I wish the lads of Zonbu a lot of luck and I do like the way the advertise their product. Nevertheless, I also think that their business model will be surpassed left and right by less depending alternatives as soon as compatible hardware becomes available to the main stream, which can happen very soon with the current political attention for energy consumption in general.

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