Differentiation

While price points will always be one element in the war for market share, PCs aren't all the same, and so price can't be the only differentiator. In a recent article - Decoding the Hype on Gadgets - David Pogue, the personal technology columnist for The New York Times, says that: "The cheapness of a computer is certainly an important factor. In fact, to some people, it's the single most important factor."

But, Pogue goes on to say that: "When something is made exclusively to be cheap, there's a price to be paid somewhere else. You may love your PC's cheapo price, but you may not love the manufacturer's low-rated, outsourced customer support. Or the ugly patchwork of stickers, logos and panels underneath. Or the huge, ungainly power brick. Or the obnoxious pre-installed junk-ware that drags the thing to a crawl from the first time you power it up. Or the annual antivirus-software subscription that you'll need for Windows. Or the time you'll lose trying to learn the potluck programs on your new PC from different companies, each with a different interface and conventions."

That's quite some rant from - it's clear to see - an avid Apple fan. But it could just as easily be about the differences between different PC brands - or, indeed, almost any core technology product. So why is it that so many retailers simply line up products, irrespective of brand or functionality, in a linear sequence based solely on price? That's just lazy retailing, and as a result, it's no surprise that consumers - especially those who aren't natural propeller heads - have precious little idea about how to choose the right product for their needs.