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Author Topic: Microsoft 'Signature' PCs  (Read 5100 times)

wraith808

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Microsoft 'Signature' PCs
« on: February 28, 2015, 12:25 PM »
In the Microsoft Store, you can buy Signature Edition PCs- PCs made by other vendors and sold with just the operating system and drivers and microsoft defender installed.  It seems that they have seen what I've seen- that purchasing a pre-build PC is an experience in frustration when you get home with it.

Not sure how long this has been going on- maybe I'm late to the show.  But it looks like a step in the right direction towards pressuring vendors to stop monetizing their consumers and make their money on the sales of their hardware instead of the sales of computer users' privacy and online safety.

No junkware or trialware

Some new PCs come pre-installed with programs, toolbars, utilities and screensavers that you might not want and may never use. This can slow down your computer and junk up your Start screen or desktop. When you buy a new PC at Microsoft Store, we ensure there's no third-party junkware or trialware installed.

There are offerings from Dell, HP, Asus, Toshiba, and there are some great deals.  I just picked up an HP Stream 7... as you might remember, I had a windows device but sold it.  But at this price point, I don't see how I can go wrong- $79 and a $25 app store credit and a free subscription to office 365.

There's also a section on Value Laptops that they're positioning to take on the Chromebook.

Looks like a good way to incentivize the industry towards going towards clean builds and clean installs, and hopefully stop things like the Superfish debacle from being a concern.

Innuendo

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Re: Microsoft 'Signature' PCs
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2015, 11:41 AM »
The Signature program has been going on for a while. Microsoft is pretty serious about this program and has partnered with Best Buy so you can buy Signature Edition products from Best Buy as well.

That HP Stream 7 is definitely priced right, but I've become such a resolution snob. I nearly bought one, but I realize I probably wouldn't use a device that had a larger screen size than my phone, but an inferior resolution. That's just me being spoiled, though.

The free Office 365 subscription is nice for those who don't have it, but I get five licenses from work and five licenses from my college so I'm set there.

Keep a close eye on that $25 app store credit. The small print says it must be redeemed by December 31st, 2015 and once redeemed must be used within 90 days. Not a big deal...but easy to slip through one's fingers if one isn't paying attention.

wraith808

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Re: Microsoft 'Signature' PCs
« Reply #2 on: March 08, 2015, 05:22 PM »
I've found the downsides, as reported in another thread.  However, I still consider it a good buy for testing out the waters in app development.  Having a device instead of an emulator to test on is a good thing no matter what else.