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Laptop bloatware: Paying bullies to end abuse
4 comments- TAGS:bloatware, Mac, Windows
- IT TOPICS:Hardware, Macintosh & Apple, Mobile & Wireless, Personal Technology
It's like paying a schoolyard bully to stop picking on you. Until recently, if you wanted to get rid of the bloatware (also known as crapware) that PC vendors pre-install on laptops and desktops, you had to manually remove it. Now, Sony will let you pay an extra $50 for bloatware-free laptops.
It brings to mind other abusive practices that pervade the technology business and how I'm getting tired of paying part of my lunch money to companies to prevent trouble.
Bloatware fills hard drives and, because much of it loads automatically, it slows boot time. Plus, most of the trial software that comprises bloatware is available for free download. In other words, bloatware benefits only two groups: computer vendors and software vendors. It has no benefit for many, if not most, computer buyers. In fact, it's a pain for most of us to deal with.
True, the pain of bloatware isn't great enough for me to scream out: "I give! I'll give you what you want!" But it's just one more example of how, when it comes to laptops and PCs, customers aren't anywhere near the top of the pecking order.
It's yet another reason why Apple's market share has grown so rapidly lately. Sure, the company has benefitted from the glow provided by iPod sales. But mostly, it has benefitted from the greed of Microsoft and PC vendors.
Microsoft is still feverishly flogging Windows Vista as an improvement over Windows XP when, in fact, for most users it's just an added expense and hassle. Add to that hassles like bloatware and suddenly Macs seem attractive.
I've been a daily Windows user since I installed Windows 386 in the late 80's but I'm considering switching to Mac. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not an Apple fan. As a company, I find them smug and their products, while very good, aren't, in and of themselves, worth the excessive premium Apple charges. When I contemplate buying a Mac, it feels like I'd be paying a premium not just for excellent engineering but also for the myth of superiority that Apple has created with the help of its legions of fanboys.
But every time I contemplate the notion of paying to remove crapware, and every time I think about being forced to upgrade to a bloated OS that isn't appreciably better than the old OS, the smugness of Apple and its fanboys starts to seem quite enticing.
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