Sub-$200 PC Heads to Sears

There’s a lemming-like move to get sub-$200 PCs on the store shelves at the mass retail outlets. Wal-Mart reported that the $199 Everex gPC the store sold over the holiday was a sell-out. It’s only natural that Sears would follow suit. Sears will be carrying its own $199 (after rebate) Linux-based desktop PC. The PC is the offspring of a partnership between Mirus Innovation, a California-based PC manufacturer, and Linspire, the developer of a Linux operating system.

My reaction is a loud groan. PCs like these low-cost Linux systems probably have no place in stores like Wal-Mart and Sears. These are hobbyist machines on the cutting edge of a new frontier. They're made for an dollar-conscious, but computer-savvy person who is somewhat familiar with being connected all the time, downloading applications, and dealing with compatibility issues.

There’s nothing wrong with these low-cost Linux systems. They just shouldn’t be next to the hedge cutters at Sears, that’s all. The Mirus/Linspire desktop computer features an adequate list of specifications including Intel Celeron, 1.6GHz processor, 1GB of memory, an 80GB hard drive, CD-RW, wireless, mouse, modem, keyboard, and free applications software. There’s no monitor included. It slightly leapfrogs the specifications of the Everex gPC and will compete with the recently announced ShuttleKPC (which for all I know may be sold at 7-Eleven).

But speeds and feeds aren’t the real problem with these machines; educating the consumer is. There are two really important things to understand about these low-cost systems. They were designed to be connected all the time, relying on the web, and not on your local hard drive for a majority of tasks. And, because they run Linux, some of the applications you might like to run and some of the peripherals you use are bound to be troublesome.

Since you’re not going to be able to run traditional PC software that you find in the store, Linspire launched CNR.com to help you locate and download software. CNR organizes available free Linux applications by category for you to peruse and then download to your PC. These applications are free. Commercial Linux applications are available for purchase, too. Folks who are used to navigating through free utilities and unafraid to try them out will be comfortable; others will be petrified.

The Everex gPC machine came the closest to flunking PC Magazine’s review as any computer I’ve ever seen. The Mirus web site is particularly non-user friendly, and the discussion boards on Mirus/Linspire are none too flattering.

The world will surely be ready for low-cost $199 Linux PCs someday soon. Right now these machines make about as much sense on the shelves of Wal-Mart and Sears as a “do it yourself brain surgery kit.” I only hope that stores will at least put some clear language around the offering that lets folks know that these are not your garden-variety PCs.