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Dell Adamo. Spare me

Mar. 19, 2009 Paul Thurrott | Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows

I just wanted to post a short comment about the Dell Adamo, which is Dell's entry into the "my computer is smaller and more expensive than your computer" sweepstakes. That is, this epic waste of time is meant to compete with Apple's epic waste of time, the Macbook Air.

JCXP explains the system's specs like so:

The Adamo is available in one of two configurations. The first boasting a 1.2Ghz Intel U9300 Core 2 Duo, 2GB DDR3 RAM, Intel X4500 graphics, a 128GB SSD, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR and 802.11n wireless. For an additional $700, the second configuration bumps the processor up to a 1.4Ghz U9400 and adds an additional 2GB of RAM. Each configration ships with Windows Vista Home Premium and are available in either Pearl (Silver) or Onyx (Black).

Just to be clear, this is a notebook computer that starts at $2000 and goes up from there.

[sarcasm] This is exactly what's needed in the current economic climate. [/sarcasm]

*Sigh*.

You know what? I feel bad for Dell, I really do. They have a great product lineup, their best ever, and yet they continue to lose share with every passing day. But this machine is a ridiculous, Hummer-sized mistake. It attacks a niche that, frankly, is best left alone (and to Apple), especially given what's going on in the world these days. More generally, however, the Adamo is emblematic of what's wrong at Dell: They're so busy copying what they see as cool and hip that they've lost sight of the fact that they should be doing their own thing. Any product that is essentially a copy of something else (Linux, Zune, there are a million of them), there's something inherently less interesting about them. Because the companies that make them don't lead, they follow.

The Dell Adamo disgusts me. It's marketed like a Lexus. And you know what? Dell sells Toyotas. At best.

It's not even that nice looking. Oh, and the name stinks.

Geesh.

Discuss this Article 51

befuson
on Mar 19, 2009
I'm assuming you know that Toyota is Lexus. The fact that Lexus is Toyota's premium brand sort of negates the point you were trying to make. And the Adamo is $500 cheaper than the Air. That seems reasonable enough, given its capabilities.
Waethorn
on Mar 19, 2009
"The Dell Adamo disgusts me. It's marketed like a Lexus. And you know what? Dell sells Toyotas. At best." They're trying to change their image with consumers. The Studio line is evidence of that. Even the newer Inspiron desktops are a huge advancement in stylish-ness over the previously icky Dimension series. I have two in the shop at the moment - an 1100 and a 2400, both mATX towers in that 5-year old Dell gray plas-tastic look.
subzerohitman721
on Mar 19, 2009
Paul, I'm of two different points of view on this subject. Part of me agrees with you. Dell isn't the top brand of PC computing at first thought. They are manufacturers for the masses. I seriously doubt you're going to impress anyone with a Macbook Air with a Dell. Its just not what we associate with top tier computing. On the otherhand, sometimes challenging the status quo is a good thing. Complacency is one of the enemies of true innovation. If you can build a better top tier machine than Apple then I've got two words. Prove it. If it can outperform on application benchmarks, if it runs any OS a bit quicker, if it beats Apple with form without the compromise of functionality, then by God build it. Thats why I'm excited about Psystar. Maybe they don't have a prayer in winning the legal challenge against Apple's billions. The fact that Psystar built a better machine with their Open Computer than Apple and cheaper was nothing more than pure balls to the walls chutzpah. Trust me if I had the cash, the one company I would challenge is Microsoft. I do believe they can be challenged and beaten at their own game. I do think Apple can be beaten at their own game. However, its going to take rare combination of factors for a true contender to emerge and take the industry. I"m not crazy about this new Dell and it probably won't do anything. However, it just might be from the most unlikely place that someone comes up. Who would have thought in 1975, that a hippie and a nerd would take the Personal Computing Industry from IBM and HP? Sometimes you have to root for the underdog to open people minds.
Waethorn
on Mar 19, 2009
"X4500" If it's not the HD variant, no thanks. DDR3 isn't shown to show any sizeable in system benchmark performance either. The only exception is with integrated video that uses system ram. Discrete graphics systems don't benefit from it. "Oh, and the name stinks." Check++ for you, Paul: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=adamo
kalewallace
on Mar 19, 2009
I really wanted one.... until I saw the extremely lackluster specs and outrageous price. It's really sad. I bought a Dell Studio XPS 13 from Best Buy last month on sale for $899 ($200 cheaper than the base Dell model, and mine had Bluetooth built in). It has a 2.4 GHz processor, nVidia 9400M with 4 GB DDR3 RAM and a 320 GB HDD. It scores a 5.2 in Vista. Running build 7057 on it now. I have to ask: Why the hell isn't Dell making more of these? This thing is ridiculously fast and the perfect size. Please Dell.... Don't be Apple.
Dipsh t Admin
on Mar 19, 2009
"The Dell Adamo disgusts me. It's marketed like a Lexus." I don't know why a product like this would disgust you. It's just a product, and there is nothing really disgusting about it. Contrary to what some might say, many people still have money and can buy expensive, shiny things. The fact that it is marketed like a Lexus, well isn't that the point? Only the Lexus ES and RX is based on a Toyota*. All of the rest are dedicated luxury car platforms. So this is a luxury good, priced and marketed as such. * Note that in Japan, up until recently, Toyota sold both plebeian and expensive cars under the Toyota brand, as does Mercedes and BMW in their home countries. In fact, E-Class taxis are popular, but are so stripped of everything that they almost cannot be compared. So technically the Lexus SC was really a Toyota Soarer, which is of course not available in the US.
Master3
on Mar 19, 2009
As long as their not using tax money to buy this, then whatever. Too many bigger problems in the world today to get up in arms over an expensive lappy.
Waethorn
on Mar 19, 2009
Reading that second "Adamo" definition reminded me of a funny TV clip I hadn't seen for awhile: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFxCqXwBZ28&fmt=18 Maybe NSFW, but still hilarious. :D
meason
on Mar 19, 2009
it needs a window on the bottom with red neon lights so I can see all the parts!
Lindy
on Mar 19, 2009
I agree with Dipsh and Master. While we are in a recession that hurts many, 90+% of us are still employed and 80% of us probably at the same job. If I got the money and I want to spend it, your judgment is the last thing on my mind. Its really funny because 5-10 years ago $2500 was the price for an average PC from a name brand like compaq/dell. The new dell looks really nice. What is lacks compared to the Air is the fact that Dell does not own the whole package, (OS, hardware, drivers etc.). I can easily see it being an "executive" only option an some corporations that are all Dell on the desktop side of things.
Waethorn
on Mar 19, 2009
"I can easily see it being an "executive" only option an some corporations that are all Dell on the desktop side of things." It only ships with Windows Vista Home Premium, making it a no-go for corporate execs. It's good to see it's 64-bit standard though.
WebGuy3000
on Mar 19, 2009
I too don't really see the problem with Dell trying to establish a premium brand. It's not like they've stopped selling their workhorse models. It occurs to me that they might just be trying to get a few models into the lineup that have a little, you know, profit margin. Also, if you'll excuse the rant, I'm getting *very* tired of hearing "What are they thinking of releasing such and such in these tough economic times..." every time a company comes out with a product that is not a bargain basement piece of crap. Not everyone is broke; tough times don't last forever; if a product has a compelling value prop, (some) people will buy it. If not, they won't, good times or bad. Price does not equal value. Anyway, this Adamo (which means "to fall in love" in Latin, BTW) doesn't do much for me, but I can't say it disgusts me.
whiplash55
on Mar 19, 2009
I have the Latitude XT with the 1.33 ULV core 2 duo. I love it, it's almost as thin as an Air but has a lot more features and ports. The media bay works great and it runs Vista Business just fine. Very nice touch screen, great for taking notes, and it looks great. Dell has never let me down in quality I went through 3 Mac laptops all which died shortly after the warranty expired, my first Dell is still being used by the student I gave it to. If they want to make a Lexus grade laptop, why not? I still see people buying 40 and 50 thousand dollar cars where I live all the time, not everyone is hurting right now and the more we act like it's a depression the more someone lower on the food chain ends up getting hurt. Ultra thin and light is really nice, Paul loves the Lenovo X300 he's using why shouldn't Dell participate, they have products at both ends of the market for all consumers, good for them.
Average User
on Mar 19, 2009
"Any product that is essentially a copy of something else, there's something inherently less interesting about them. Because the companies that make them don't lead, they follow." Just like Microsoft's Windows, an upside-down and backwards copy of Apple's Mac. I knew there was a reason this site was far less interesting than MacDailyNews.
Waethorn
on Mar 19, 2009
"What is lacks compared to the Air is the fact that Dell does not own the whole package, (OS, hardware, drivers etc.)." Apple doesn't build the Air. They also don't build the components that fit into it. If you want to look at their drivers, many are not written by them (all of the Intel component drivers are variants of existing BSD drivers). And a good chunk (if not most) of OS X is open source in some way and/or is community-written. They don't "own" the MacBook Air any more than Dell "owns" the Adamo. All the major OEM's are pretty much the same as far as the general process on how they build systems as a complete package from start to finish. The only exceptions are in the details of their products: price range, features, and which operating system ships with it.
Waethorn
on Mar 19, 2009
"the more we act like it's a depression the more someone lower on the food chain ends up getting hurt" If nobody actually said the economy was hurtin', foreign investors wouldn't be withdrawing their investments. People wouldn't be as nervous to spend. Period. Bush, and puppetmaster, "Big" Dick Cheney probably figured this would be a good "Welcome to the White House, now go F*$# yourself!" gift to Obama. I bet Bush&Co. sold a lot of their shares in oil just before this happened too. If not, good on 'em. I can take solace is knowing that it didn't have a big impact on Canada's banks though.
ModernDislocation
on Mar 19, 2009
I don't mean to speak for Paul but I think the disgust comment was mean more in terms of that the product represents. If Dell wants to get into the premium computer space then by all means do it, but this product and the marketing surrounding it pretty much shows that while Dell would like to get into the premium brand space they really don't understand it. They made a product that looks like a knock off of the Titanium PowerBook that Apple release 9 years ago and has nothing really compelling going for it. I also agree with WebGuy3000 on getting tired of hearing the "what are they thinking with the economy" line. This is actually a really good time for a company to develop a product line rather than cut back on it. If you remember back to the recession in 2000-2001, Apple started opening retail stores and released the first iPod. Both had the same conventional response of "what are they thinking, this is a recession" but when the recession blew over they had a very popular product and a very mature point of sale. Both seemed to work out just really well despite the economic conditions that both were introduced in.
magadass
on Mar 19, 2009
You actually struck a nerve with me on this blog entry. Some people like nice stuff, I mean why do people drive Mercedes, or BMW when they could drive a Honda? I personally like having luxury items and Netbooks interest me zilch, why? Because I don't by crappy stuff and to me netbooks are 100% entirely worthless paper weights. Can I afford it? Not really, will I still consider buying it? Probably, why? Because people LIKE luxury items, even in a downturn people still buy luxury items. It might slow down, sure but do I want to see the offering of these items disappear? Hell NO! I want the choice at least!
shark47
on Mar 19, 2009
"What is lacks compared to the Air is the fact that Dell does not own the whole package, (OS, hardware, drivers etc.)." I think it would be more appropriate to say that Apple owns its users, while Dell doesn't.
joe-dokes
on Mar 19, 2009
Couple of observations: It is hundreds more than the Macbook Air, has a significantly slower processor, (though it can handle more memory), has a poorer quality screen 720 v. 800. Weighs a pound more. Lacks dedicated video processing and memory. It amazes me, that when people try to actually copy Apple's design excellence they can't do it as cheaply. Regards Joe
chuckb84
on Mar 19, 2009
Well, good post. Except for the obligatory swipe at Apple, this is very reasonable. The "Adamo"----god I hate focus group names---is ridiculously expensive and absurdly under-powered. I also agree that it is just butt ugly. If you want to sell a premium product at a premium price, you have to give people a REASON to pay it. Like it or not, Apple differentiates with OS X. While that may not sell well with this crowd, in the great wide world it seems to work. Hell, this thing is so expensive, you'd be better off to just get a Macbook Air and run Windows on that. Better looking, no more expensive, etc. Dell is trapped in a race to the bottom and their profits are vanishing. This is a really bad attempt at an exit strategy from that death spiral, but it isn't going to work.
anonymous
on Mar 19, 2009
Square, tacky, and ridiculously trying to be hip! Just like lil' Wae.
Ocean
on Mar 19, 2009
They should have called it the Adama.
joe-dokes
on Mar 19, 2009
Waethorn and Shark Apple does in fact own the whole widget. If Apple wishes to switch to ANY other processor it can. Why, because it owns the operating system and it can rewrite the code to work on any processor it chooses. That's why Apple has used no less than four different processor architectures in their computers over the years. Dell on the other hand couldn't use a freescale processor even if it wanted to, because it lacks the power to rewrite the OS to make it work on the Power PC architecture. To use an aircraft analogy. Boeing uses engines from both General Electric and Rolls Royce. Boeing sets the engine specifications and GE and RR then build to Boeing's specs. Sure there is give and take in the relationship between Boeing and GE/RR but Boeing is the final word on the components that are used on their plane. Now let's compare this to the relationship MS has with the OEM's. In this case MS dictates the relationship. As a matter of fact at one point MS even restricted the icons that could be on the desktop when the computer booted. MS decides what the API's are, MS decides what processors to support, MS decides which peripherals to support. The OEM's are simply assemblers. The effect of this would be similar if RR or GE dictated the wingspan of Boeings 777. If their is a problem with the Windows OS, who does the end user turn to? They may go to Toshiba's website to find a solution, or MS's or the maker of the video card. This is the key problem of the Window ecosystem, it is also a key strength because of MS's level of control they were able to keep DOS and later windows from forking. This is one of the singular benefits to the windows monopoly. Regards Joe
Waethorn
on Mar 19, 2009
I see bonch is out for March Break.
shark47
on Mar 19, 2009
Looks nice. Some people will say it looks ugly just because it doesn't look like any of Apple's products. Like I said, Apple owns its users' minds.
tayme
on Mar 19, 2009
As many have already said here...there is nothing disgusting about a company selling or a person purchasing premium products. That is true in the case of this Dell product, any Apple product, and virtually across the board. Once any entity can tell us what we should and should not be doing, regardless of the economy, its over. --tayme
deepfry
on Mar 19, 2009
Not that I'm a fan of the Adamo, but I think where Paul was saying it is less than the Air is due to the fact that it comes stock with an SSD, vs the base Air that has an 80GB HDD - so to anyone who said that it's more expensive than the air, again, it's not an exact spec-to-spec comparison, as it has the lower voltage (and speed) processor, but has the SSD which is higher capacity than the base Air (and theoretically faster drive therefore less of a bottleneck than a slightly slower processor).
Waethorn
on Mar 19, 2009
"If Apple wishes to switch to ANY other processor it can. Why, because it owns the operating system and it can rewrite the code to work on any processor it chooses." Sorry but that's just not true. They'd have to rewrite the kernel from scratch, because they don't own Mach. They also don't own BSD, AAC, H.264, MP3, the WWW, Google Search and every other technology that they use but is licensed by a third-party. Those third-parties can restrict the support processors. "Now let's compare this to the relationship MS has with the OEM's. In this case MS dictates the relationship." That's not true either. OEM's get to negotiate pricing models, features, branding options, etc. "As a matter of fact at one point MS even restricted the icons that could be on the desktop when the computer booted." ABSOLUTELY 100% WRONG! "MS decides what the API's are, MS decides what processors to support, MS decides which peripherals to support." WRONG! WRONG! and WRONG! "If their is a problem with the Windows OS, who does the end user turn to?" When it's bundled with a system, and the video card is included with it from day-one, their only option is the OEM.
darkmax
on Mar 19, 2009
Lexus and Toyota falls under the Inchcape. Lexus is, technically speaking, not under Toyota. Given the number of choices available to consumers, Dell is certainly not a brand I'll associate with top end mobile PC. Dell's marketing has always brand its products as relatively cheap and fairly reliable. Seldom very configurable... This top end notebook is not very Dell.... May be they should create another brand to market it.
RunTimeError
on Mar 19, 2009
I actually like the design. In fact, when I first saw it I thought "That's from Dell?" Will I buy one? No. Just like I won't ever own a MacBook Air. Still though, good on Dell for getting into the swing of high end competition. I mean why the hell not? There are still plenty of people out there whit money to burn.
DavidR91
on Mar 19, 2009
Fairly little point in Dell competing with Apple if the price is about the same (or at least, it sounds roughly the same). If they could have done a similar machine for far less cash though, it may have been interesting.
ModernDislocation
on Mar 19, 2009
"Looks nice. Some people will say it looks ugly just because it doesn't look like any of Apple's products." Right, personal tastes in no way dictates if a person will find design appealing or not. So the only reasonable conclusion for someone not finding this design attractive is because it doesn't look like an Apple product. Even if that line of thinking made sense it would apply to this product. It looks a whole heck of a lot like the PowerBooks Apple was making just shy of a decade ago. Maybe Dell was going for the retro look.
whiplash55
on Mar 19, 2009
darkmax Dell's marketing has always brand its products as relatively cheap and fairly reliable. Seldom very configurable... Not sure you're looking at the same Dell I am. Name a company with more configurable computers, certainly not HP, Apple or Acer. Dell has as wide a spectrum of computers as I've seen, in fact that might be their problem to many choices to muddy the waters. @Wae Hate to tell you but securitizing sub-prime loans started under Slick Willy and company as did the repeal of Smoot-Hatrley Act which prevented banks from becoming brokerage houses. Of coarse Bush's SEC chairman who removed the short sale rule and allowed a "Bear Raid" on the banking stocks by the hedge funds didn't exactly help. But Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are Democrat sponsored and supported companies that former Clinton administration officials made 10's of millions on while they ran them into the ground. Now Oblama is borrowing so much money the Chinese are afraid their Treasury Bonds wont be repaid, not a good situation.
DavidR91
on Mar 19, 2009
As a sidenote: "Sorry but that's just not true. They'd have to rewrite the kernel from scratch, because they don't own Mach. They also don't own BSD, AAC, H.264, MP3, the WWW, Google Search and every other technology that they use but is licensed by a third-party. Those third-parties can restrict the support processors." * Mach ran on VAX and Sun machines before it ever hit Intel boxes. It is inherently platform/processor-neutral, so converting to another to another processor would affect the kernel. It's also worth noting that there is a GNU implementation of Mach, so there would be nothing stopping Apple from using that (considering they already use the GCC toolchain etc.) * All the other examples you mentioned are just poop. AAC, MP3 and the H. range decoders can work on a freaking ARM processor (Hello? iPod!) let alone any desktop microprocessor. If they can license that tech for ARM chips, why would they be restricted from running on anything else? Do you actually think about this stuff before you post it? I'm not going to even start on the fact you mentioned the web -_-
Dipsh t Admin
on Mar 19, 2009
"I can take solace is knowing that it didn't have a big impact on Canada's banks though." LOL, sill rabbit, thinking that if the US fails in any major way that Canada will somehow be immune. Keep dreaming. People like to disparage the US, but when we catch a cold, the world gets pneumonia. And whiplash, I agree on both points. Dell has always been much more configurable. Maybe not all models, but most. How much confidence do we have that the likes of Emanual can help us when they presided on the board of the failed Freddie and Fannie?
deepfry
on Mar 19, 2009
Oh, and as to the whole "why would they bring out a luxury item in this economy" question - it's very likely that the Adamo has been in the design/planning stages for a few years, and it is just bad luck for Dell that the economy took the nosedive when it did.... I still wouldn't buy one, I'm just saying it's not likely that they only conceived of the idea 6 months ago.
lotsamystuff
on Mar 19, 2009
It's another "Me Too" product from Dell. By trying to be all things to all people, they're going to wind up becoming "nothing to anyone". Kudos to you for calling it like it is, Paul. I think the funniest part of this product launch is the way Dell is paying Rob "quotes for hire" Enderle as their point man, even in their press release: http://www.webtlk.com/2009/03/17/new-dell-adamo/ “Dell continues to signal a commitment to design and personalization across its entire product line and has made significant strides forward in the past year,” said Rob Enderle, Principal Analyst, Enderle Group. “The Adamo laptop is a showcase for this commitment and a flagship product that will draw buyers to the brand.” Does anyone else smell the stench coming off that guy (and, by extension, Dell)? When Rob Enderle is held up as the arbiter of good taste, I know we're all in trouble. "As a matter of fact at one point MS even restricted the icons that could be on the desktop when the computer booted." "Waethorn" says "ABSOLUTELY 100% WRONG!", but history says it's "Waethorn" that is wrong. As usual: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,30926,00.html July 31, 2001: "Company spokesman Vivek Varma said Microsoft has told computer manufacturers they have two choices for how they configure Windows XP, due out Oct. 25. They can either ship computers with a clean desktop free of any icons or they can add as many icons as they want, but only if they also include an icon for Microsoft's MSN Internet access." That's called a "restriction", "Waethorn". There are more examples, and of course, "Waethorn" knows this. But I guess if he shouts "WRONG! WRONG! and WRONG!" long enough and uses enough exclamation points, he figures someone will hear him screaming up there in the vast wasteland known as Canada.
lilserenity
on Mar 19, 2009
How about this: LIke the MacBook Air and want one : Buy one Don't like the MacBook Air: Don't buy one. Like the Dell Adamo and want one: Buy one Don't like the Dell Adamo : Don't buy one. Novel idea I know but you can make a decision on what to buy without having to broadcast it to the whole world. Why do we have to slag each other off just because someone shock horror has the bloody cheek to have an opinion and view different to you?
Lindy
on Mar 19, 2009
"Apple doesn't build the Air." True, but I think you could stretch that noodle in your head to get my point. Apple owns the whole process. They control the hardware/os/driver releases. They restrict what a user can do to a lot of it, good or BAD. Dell does not have that kind of control.
lotsamystuff
on Mar 19, 2009
"Why do we have to slag each other off just because someone shock horror has the bloody cheek to have an opinion and view different to you?" I suppose because it's interesting to see that Dell, a company known for making cheap commodity-level crap, is now trying to enter a segment of the market where they have never competed. A lot of us find that sort of thing very interesting, just as we would if Sony decided to suddenly market a $299 computer, or Apple came out with a $200 plastic Netbook. The whole thing is just fascinating, and on that level, I totally get it. And in Paul's defense (Heaven help me), it's his job to broadcast his opinions to the whole world. That's what his blog is for. And his comments section allows the rest of us to piggyback on his fame and influence to do the same thing. He doesn't even bother to mod out the people that virulently disagree with him, which is remarkable. Ain't it grand?
tayme
on Mar 19, 2009
@lilserenity - BRAVO! --tayme
Ocean
on Mar 19, 2009
>>He doesn't even bother to mod out the people that virulently disagree with him, which is remarkable.<< No it isn't. Plenty of blog authors do that.
subzerohitman721
on Mar 19, 2009
@lotsa, "And in Paul's defense (Heaven help me), it's his job to broadcast his opinions to the whole world. That's what his blog is for. And his comments section allows the rest of us to piggyback on his fame and influence to do the same thing. He doesn't even bother to mod out the people that virulently disagree with him, which is remarkable. Ain't it grand?" For the first time in awhile, I agree with your comments. Each of come from a different lifestyle and a different computing perspective. While we certainly don't agree on anything, I do try to take something from people who like Apple products. I try to see things from the other side. I think discussion, discourse, and debate is very important in a democratic society. IMO, its where good ideas begin.
tayme
on Mar 19, 2009
@Ocean - "Plenty of blog authors do that." Is that how you do it on your blog? Oh, wait...you don't have your own blog. You use Paul's to post consistently off topic links that you find interesting. --tayme
Waethorn
on Mar 19, 2009
"July 31, 2001" Exactly. They've changed that restriction years ago. Also, they haven't had MSN internet service (at least in Canada) for many years. I don't even think Bell Canada offers MSN Premium anymore. They also heavily changed the Windows EULA prior to Windows Vista being released. No longer can an OEM copy of Windows be sold with just a non-peripheral hardware component like a hard drive or motherboard. It can now only be sold, INSTALLED, on a new computer. The OEM also has to include support info in the System Properties dialog box by using the OPK. That EULA also applies/applied to Windows XP after Vista launched.
tayme
on Mar 19, 2009
@Waethorn - You are wrong in this one...joe-dokes said "As a matter of fact at one point MS even restricted the icons that could be on the desktop when the computer booted." Note the "at one point"...thus, he was right. Sometimes your arguments are pointless. Lets see if you can admit to your error. --tayme
DRWAM
on Mar 19, 2009
Sorry to be late to the party, but I agree with Paul...so there! Dell need to improve customer service as well, because it's still really bad.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Mar 19, 2009
"As a matter of fact at one point MS even restricted the icons that could be on the desktop when the computer booted." Nope. What actually happened was that Microsoft used to give an additional discount to OEMs who limited the amount of adware they added to the desktop and the start menu. This at least partially compensated the OEMs who lost the money that the adware vendors had paid them for the desk space. This was one of the "anti-competitive" but user beneficial issues that came up at the DOJ trial.
lotsamystuff
on Mar 19, 2009
"Exactly. They've [sic] changed that restriction years ago. " So they changed "that restriction" that, according to you, wasn't a restriction? Your twisted logic is fascinating. @ "mikegalos": Note the word "restriction" in the second paragraph: http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/hardware/0,39042972,30103447,00.htm Oh, and look! More "restrictions": http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2001-08-09-microsoft-desktop.htm Spin it all you want, but "at one point" Microsoft did restrict what you could put on the desktop.

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