Comment Re:Not a Surprise (Score 1) 172
These were bottom-rung machines bought by people who didn't give a shit. All they wanted was a computar thingy to access thar intarwebs.
When people like this walk into these stores to buy the cheapest computer they can, nothing can move that mountain. You can tell them time and time again that the performance will suck, that it won't work with newer operating systems, and they still won't pony up another dollar.
This was not remotely the norm in my experience as an Easy Tech salesman at Staples. The vast majority of customers (including many on tight budgets) did not want a "bare minimum" machine if there was a reasonably superior alternative available within a few hundred dollars of the price tag. And if people do come in intending to buy the cheapest piece of junk available (regardless of performance), it's the job of the salesman to put the (healthy) fear of God into them about the nightmare of running Vista on those dinosaurs.
