Sony is offering to remove some of the trial software it crams onto the hard disks of new laptops, for a fee. Buyers of the configure-to-order versions of its Vaio TZ2000 and Vaio TZ2500 laptops can opt to have Sony remove the some of its own applications, in addition to trial software and games.
The "Fresh Start" option, billed as a software optimization, costs $49.99, and is only available to customers choosing to pay an additional $100 to upgrade the operating system to Windows Vista Business from the Windows Vista Home Premium edition offered as standard.
Blogs erupted with outrage at the planned charge, with Engadget opening a headline with "Sony Hates You."
Responding to a tidal wave of outrage, Sony has reversed a plan to charge $50 to remove all the pre-installed applications — often derided as "bloatware" or "craplets" — from its high-end TZ-series notebooks. "There will be no charge for Fresh Start" said the company spokesman.
The "Fresh Start" option, billed as a software optimization, costs $49.99, and is only available to customers choosing to pay an additional $100 to upgrade the operating system to Windows Vista Business from the Windows Vista Home Premium edition offered as standard.
Blogs erupted with outrage at the planned charge, with Engadget opening a headline with "Sony Hates You."
Responding to a tidal wave of outrage, Sony has reversed a plan to charge $50 to remove all the pre-installed applications — often derided as "bloatware" or "craplets" — from its high-end TZ-series notebooks. "There will be no charge for Fresh Start" said the company spokesman.
Good point but if they were going to buy in bulk and its costs $50 for each laptop it would work out very expensive if they brought 1000 laptop for example
Buying in bulk is totally diffrent, you get in touch with Sony's business departmens, the deal is usually custom, there are more options and you dont do it by internet, you do it by phone with a sales person.
Buying in bulk is totally diffrent, you get in touch with Sony's business departmens, the deal is usually custom, there are more options and you dont do it by internet, you do it by phone with a sales person.
Totally, business buying would be completly differernt.
Buying in bulk is totally diffrent, you get in touch with Sony's business departmens, the deal is usually custom, there are more options and you dont do it by internet, you do it by phone with a sales person.
Okay, and what if you own a small business by yourself and you are buying laptops for most of your crew?
Buying in bulk is totally diffrent, you get in touch with Sony's business departmens, the deal is usually custom, there are more options and you dont do it by internet, you do it by phone with a sales person.
Okay, and what if you own a small business by yourself and you are buying laptops for most of your crew?
Just create one image from one and image the rest...
if your buying in bulk then you dont even use the sony image, you make your own with your particular SOE, you build one machine as a clean machine by installing windows from the MS CD adn then install the drivers adn applications you want on it, then make an image then roll that image out to all of them making your point entirley irrelevant.
I can't believe they tried to CHARGE for this. I would never dish out more money for this.
does no one else find that as funny as me?
good things they stopped charging people, maybe they will learn not to put it there in the first place
The hardware and software side of Sony are two different entities... Their hardware department is always trying to push the envelope to come up with hardware that can do more at a higher quality, but the software side is always trying to tie it down somehow. It's why people want their music players but not the software that manages the devices or the stupid audio formats, or why people want the PS3 and Blu-Ray but none of the DRM, etc.
+1! ... exactly!
but i think the sad fact is ... 'most' people have no clue how shady sony is... and they KNOW the sony name which generally means quality product cause they been around so long. sad, but pretty much true
Sony was charging to offset the lost advertising revenue they get from their partners that provide the software.
You don't think one reason why HP laptops are cheap isn't because they are choked with trial versions and the like?
Don't schools offer business courses anymore???
i'm sorry for the average people that paid for this "service"...
So in the sense of labor, people are being paid to put together a new software setup without the addons. But even though I can't be sure how much that costs at the bottom line, it certainly isn't $50.
Naturally management will be reluctant to add a freebie option (no doubt plenty of Sony staff gave a long hard blink when they heard about the charge), but since it's only there for people who choose a Vista Business upgrade, it would've made an AWFUL lot more sense to keep the charge invisible.
For example: slightly raise the price of upgrading to Vista Business for everyone, and just enough that it covers any supposed corporate expense for the people who choose a now 'free' fresh start, without startling the other customers who leave the software as-is.
At least, that's how I would run the business.
Thus, the install disc itself is downloadable and uploadable.
Or, you could choose to purchase a brandy new Vista/XP disc. But that's just silly because M$ doesn't deserve money.
Commenting has either been disabled on this article or you are not logged in. Click here to login or register, its free!
Note: Anonymous commenting is disabled in order to keep the quality of responses to a high standard.