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Magazine Articles
Web Guide Monthly magazine
"Smart Easy Ways to Find Your Dream Machine Online"
From 1997 to 1999 I was a contributing editor and columnist for Web Guide Monthly. Among the many articles I wrote was a piece on how to buy a computer online. I checked out the sites of all the major vendors, as well as computer retailers and online auction sites as well. I told readers which sites gave the best impartial advice for free and how to comparison shop on the Net. I also provided a checklist for buying safely online.
Smart Easy Ways to Find Your Dream Machine Online (1998)
On first thought, the Web doesn't seem the most logical place to buy a computer. After all, while prices for hardware continue to tumble, a fully equipped system is still a big-ticket item that goes for $1,000 or more. With customers laying out that kind of money, you might think that most people would want to test drive a model at their local dealer and give the components a kick or two.
But consumers are finding the Web as inviting a retail venue as the mall. Buying a computer is primarily about getting good information, and the Web excels at delivering it. Not only do the sellers' sites give you loads of detail, but there are dozens of independent resources that review and compare systems. Indeed, perhaps the Web's greatest strength is the ability to do comparison shopping. That's somewhat ironic, given the effort retail stores make in creating attractive display areas so you can do just that. But the Web excels at putting all the features of two or more systems side by side, allowing you to quickly and easily compare dozens of specs. Of course, you don't get to actually see those features up close and personal, but who cares what that 4.3 GB hard drive or 64 MB of RAM looks like, so long as it's there.
Another terrific advantage of buying on the Web
is custom building your system. The sites of big
vendors like Gateway and Dell offer simple-to-use
forms where you can choose, say, a different video
card or a bigger monitor than the basic system
offers. You can then quickly recalculate the cost
of the entire system. Of course, customizing is
not entirely new -- in the past, you could ask
a Dell salesperson for a bigger (or smaller) hard
drive, or do a back-of-the-envelope calculation
from an ad in the computer press. But it's so
much faster and easier to do it all on the Web.
Some newbies argue that's exactly the problem with online buying -- you do it all on your own. Aren't you missing out on the valuable contribution of the experienced salesperson at your local retailer who guides you through the entire process, who is always cheerful and takes the time to answer even the dumbest question months after you buy the system? Those stores with those people still exist, but they were always hard to find, and now they're becoming an endangered species. It isn't anybody's fault -- it's just the extremely competitive nature of the business and the tight margins that make leisurely and knowledgeable advice a premium commodity.
One solution for the uninitiated is to join a computer users group. Many communities still have them, and they are always eager for new members. Ideally, in exchange for dues of say, $40 per year, you'll meet a helpful group of patient, knowledgeable users who like nothing better than to answer those dumb questions. Like everything else in life, it doesn't always work out as advertised, but it's definitely worth investigating. You can find a group in your area by going to the User Group Locator at www.ugconnection.com.
Another unwarranted roadblock to buying online is security concerns about sending your credit card number through cyberspace. While all the experts tell you that it's safer than giving it to a waiter, it's human nature to be hesitant about giving out this key bit of personal financial data. But as more and more buying is done on the Web, the resistance to online credit card purchases is subsiding. If you still need reassurance, remember that all reputable companies use secure server technology (the Secure Socket Layer) that encrypt your credit card number, and it's almost impossible for anyone to intercept this info and decode it. If you have qualms, you might want to try ordering a small purchase online first (a book or some flowers, for example) to get you over the hump.
If you don't want to send your credit card info, you can order by calling a company's toll-free number, which is almost always prominently displayed at the site of the big vendors and direct retailers. In fact, even if you don't wind up doing a soup-to-nuts purchase online, the Web can be of invaluable help as you work your way toward making a final buying decision. Most sites let you create an order, then give you the option of calling a toll-free number or entering the order online.
Be a Smart Shopper
There are a great variety of Web sites to help the computer buyer learn more about individual systems. The most obvious, and by no means the least useful, are the sites of the manufacturers themselves. But there are also numerous sites that offer information free of the seller's natural bias. Price Scan (www.pricescan.com), for example, offers a fast-and-simple form to perform a quick filter of systems that meet your needs at the lowest price. Click Computer Hardware on the home page, click Desktop Systems, and click PC or Mac compatible. You'll get a form where you can designate several criteria, among them CPU speed, RAM, hard drive size, and, notably, maximum price. Your hits will be sorted by price, with the least expensive units listed first. The links give you some more information about the system, a link to the vendor, and a graph that shows you the trend of the item's price over a several month period. Most important, Price Scan says it receives no money from any vendor for listing its products and prices, thus keeping the service's information objective.
At Business Week's Maven (http://www.maven.businessweek.com/MavenSystems/TableOfContents.htm), you can search for systems by several methods. Some of these are less than over-whelming; a search by "task," for example, merely asks you to select any of eight common activities, like word processing. But you can also browse for a system by NSTL ratings, which the site claims is the "world's leader in independent objective testing of computers and related gear." Maybe yes, maybe no, but they test for many McGraw-Hill publications, including Business Week and Byte, so its rankings may be worth a look.
C/Net's Computers.Com (http://computers.com), besides being blessed with an unusually memorable URL, offers easy navigation, thoughtful product reviews, and quick filters. Begin by clicking PC or Mac under Desktops near the top of the home page. Enter the criteria for your ideal system from the drop-down boxes at left, click the Filter button at bottom, and sort your hits (by brand name, price, etc.). Access a wealth of information about the systems: read the reviews, check out the specs, and find the latest prices. Other links allow you to make comparisons with similar systems.
ZD Net's NetBuyer.com (http://www.zdnet.com/netbuyer/), from the company that publishes Computer Shopper, is another key site. Don't let the busy frame design and the excessive advertising turn you off. They're distracting, but this site offers some excellent features. Its database has lots of interesting information, such as how long the manufacturer has been in business, whether international orders are accepted, availability of 24 hour service, etc.. You can make extensive side-by-side comparisons of system features. The Computer Shopper Wizard offers an exhaustive questionnaire that screens for systems closely matching your needs. However, it's difficult to determine whether vendors pay to be included in the database.
Finally, don't ignore computer magazines. They often offer full archives of all their product reviews. At PC World Online (www.pcworld.com/), you can get a list of its top 20 budget desktops. PC Magazine Online (www.zdnet.com/ pcmag/) also offers timely reviews and helpful articles on buying computer systems.
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