Confrontation with Mass Production
missycola @ 8:56 pm Kategorie: DiaryToday I helped my aunt with looking for a new computer for her.
There is a long story to tell about my aunt and her computer problems, but I better don’t bother you with that. The only important thing is that she has a computer since three years and she has trouble with it since three years. Yeah, it was a long uncomfortable way for my aunt to get in contact with computers. Now she has enough with the daily digital terror.
Her niece, that’s me, studied something with computers and knows a lot more than her about all that technical stuff. Too bad 
So it was my job today, to consult her in computer-buy-decisions.
We went to the computer store in my town (the only computer store here). They had about eight different computers. The cheapest started at 299 Euro. My aunt was interested in a HP for 499 Euro. The details on the little paper-price-thing were: 160GB hard disk, 512MB RAM, Multi DVD, operating system WinXP, and so on. I wanted to know the manufacturer of the hard disk and the other parts, but the guy from the computer store said that he doesn’t know them and even HP doesn’t know, the only way is to open the computer and look inside. WHAAHAT?
Yes, you heard right, nobody knows, that’s why they cannot describe the computer parts better on the advertising paper, e.g. “Samsung SP1614N hard drive”, they can only say “160GB hard drive” !!! But me, as always very interested and annoying curious customer (haha), I want to know whose company or what brand is behind the parts, that I buy altogether as an expensive computer for 500 Euro.
No way, the guy explained it like that: HP produces tons of computers like this one (ok, I knew that before). They start to put Western Digital hard drives into their computers….and when they are out of Western Digital’s, they put, e.g. Samsung hard-drives into it. But because they don’t know what hard drive is exactly in which machine/computer they just put the only general details on the package, which is “512MB RAM”. The name for this whole process is: (M)ASS PRODUCTION.
I thought I didn’t understand him completely and asked again, if he really needs to take his screwdriver, open the computer and look inside or put things out to see who is the manufacturer of each computer part. You won’t believe me, but I heard a clear YES.
Damn!! No, I couldn’t believe it. This was totally new to me. My aunt was very astonished as well, although computers are always something totally strange to her, but she felt uneasy because I was not happy with the guys explanations. I checked that it’s too late for April Fools and asked him if he has all the data in his computer in the store. Nope. They know exactly the same as the customer can read from the price tag.
I said to the guy, that this procedure was different a few years ago (when I bought my computer) and he said, no, it was always like this. Then I remembered that I never bought a complete computer from a store like this. I bought my first computer at the local discounter called “Ald”i *g* and build my second one from selected single parts by myself.
But then…..I thought of the discounter stores here, like Aldi, Lidl, Plus, etc. who sometimes name the manufacturers on their flyer’s….Ha, I thought I got him now….finally 
The guy replied that they use only one sort/brand of hard disk for example, so they can name the only manufacturer then easily. Ahaaa….hmm. The guy cross-eyed very badly but with this computer topic he beat me.
In the end, we gave up. Or better: I gave up. The cheapest computer had bad components and the HP one was way too professional for her, with 160GB hard drive and Multi-DVD-Burner what she will never need. Her old computer had only floppy-disk and no CD-ROM, which was ok for her beginner use. She only needs the computer for writing emails, writing stuff in word, outlook and excel and that’s it. She is new with using the Internet and she doesn’t even have a digital photo camera, that a 9in1 card reader would make sense. But nowadays it is impossible to buy computers for beginners. You pay a high price if you want to enter the digital world….or you know someone, who can build together a computer that fits your special needs. That will be the only solution. The only problem is that she lost her trust in people building together computers by themselves (because it’s their hobby or whatever), because she is very disappointed from the person who sold her the last computer, that she had trouble with from the first day of use.
Why not switching off all computers of the world and eat self-made banana ice cream, lay back and watch the beautiful crocus flowers that are in full bloom around this time of the year….at least here where I live and enjoy the spring with its first warm sunbeams on one’s face…
Hmm…the banana ice cream is very good and made in not even a minute. Wanna have the recipe?
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