You may recall an item I posted here last month about a rugged $100 laptop, being developed for children at MIT. According to news reports, consumer tech firms have recently taken the $100 PC plunge in short spurts. Considering how well such deals have been received, expect to see them more frequently as the holiday season approaches.
Last Sunday, CompUSA offered a very limited number of AOL-branded Windows PC desktop systems with monitors and printers for $99.99, but with two big caveats: The PC came with $450 of instant rebates and you had to sign up to an AOL subscription for a year to buy one.
Earlier last summer, Hewlett-Packard offered a rebate-rich desktop -- but no monitor or printer -- for $199. And, if you're keep an eye out for them, Dell and Acer have dropped prices on some of their base laptop systems under the unheard of $500 mark.
There's good reasons for the plummeting consumer price points on entry-level PC systems. For one, with Dell still by far the leader among PC makers, some companies like Hewlett-Packard and AOL are trying to rebuild lost marketshare. And, Acer, currently the fastest growing PC maker in the world, is working hard to be noticed among the sea of consumer choices at your local computer store.
So, if you've been looking for an inexpensive PC, it's wise to stay on the lookout in the newspapers and the Internet for similar deals as the days get shorter and cooler.
CNET News.com October 10, 2005