PC Shopping for Dummies

My sister is looking for a new personal computer. She knows the kind of system she wants but hates the process of going to Wal-Mart or some big box business retailer like OfficeMax to buy a computer. She also hates going to an online superstore or even Dell's site and buying a computer that may be ten percent cheaper only to spend almost one hundred bucks on shipping. So what is she supposed to do? What are you going to do the next time you need to purchase a new personal computer?

Obviously you have options galore for your shopping pleasure. From Wal-Mart's crowded but inexpensive aisles to the Internet ecommerce stores like CDW and PC Warehouse, finding the perfect place to buy a desktop or laptop is like finding the perfect place to buy a pair of blue jeans. It is really dependent on your shopping habits. For people like my wife who refuse to try clothes on and for whom price is the most important thing, Wal-Mart is the place. For some reason she refuses to enter a dressing room even though she knows she may not like the way something looks. So a considerate return policy is as important for her as price. That's why Wal-Mart is the perfect place for her to buy a computer. Unlike other retailers, Wal-Mart allows you to return a computer without the dreaded store credit policy attached to other technology goods. This is important because if you find a computer somewhere else and you do not buy your groceries at Wal-Mart how long will it take you to spend the $750 you were going to spend on that Acer desktop computer?

Unlike my wife, my mother-in-law needs a friend in the shopping experience. She needs someone that can help her migrate her existing applications and files from one computer to the newer model. She also needs help in making the necessary purchases beyond the hardware to make sure she can do what she needs to do. On top of that, things tend to happen to her system for some reason so she needs a solid repair and warranty. For her, the best place to buy a machine is a place like Best Buy or Circuit City where they can partner with her and give her exactly what she needs and be the place she can return to when she has a problem or she gets the dreaded blue screen like she did last year.

For college students who are gamers like my friends here in the coffee shop where I am writing this article there is only one place and one company perfect for your computing needs and that is Apple. The iMac and iBook are the best computers for the gamers and creative artists in the world today. With dynamic visuals and strong performance, Steve Jobs and his band of tech geeks continue to push the envelope for exceptional systems for gaming and creativity. The only place to buy an Apple machine is your local Apple Store. While you can buy an iMac anywhere you go to an Apple Store to buy an Apple machine because it is simply the right thing to do. You would not go to a Honda dealership to buy a Toyota Camry even if they sold one would you?

Unlike my wife and mother-in-law, gamers and creative designers, I use my computer for business purposes and to play MSN's new beta Chess game. I know what I need and what I do not. I know the applications I will use and the size monitor I want to surf the Net with. For me, online shopping is simple, easy, and efficient. The thing is that I hate paying shipping costs. That's why my next machine will come from Hewlett-Packard. Stability and performance aside (upgrades can always be done before shipment), HP's offer of free shipping makes it the simple choice for buying a new machine. So HP.com is the place for me to buy a machine when I get tired of this Dell laptop and my wife tires of her Acer laptop, and we get bored with our IBM desktop.

Did I follow my own advice?