Intel's Chip Upgrade Program

Intel is being questioned over a newly introduced program. This program sells software to a customer, but does not unleash its full potential unless a fee is paid. Consumers are able to experience aspects, such as more memory, if they pay an extra fifty dollars. This article discusses how beneficial it would be if everything involving computers was paid for like this.

Some of the ideas portrayed in the article seem extremely intelligent and are definitely creative, but I am not sure I’m in agreement with all of them. For example, the author thinks that it would be a good idea to take this “pay for quality” idea and expand it to hardware as well. He introduces an idea that would call for identical production where monitors would all be the same. For instance, they would all be the same size, sitting at thirty inches. However, the display would only be fifteen inches at first and you would be required to pay in order to view a bigger screen. These monitors would also all be high-definition compatible, but this feature would not be able to be used unless it was paid for. For some reason I find this idea somewhat ridiculous. Different pieces of hardware are what set companies apart (such as Dell vs. HP). When people are buying a monitor, they are going to know what qualities they want the monitor to have. They should not have to go purchase a monitor, then pay extra fees to fix the size and enable high definition.

In terms of software, the author used Microsoft Office and its many features as an example of why this program should be applicable. Microsoft Office is used on a majority of systems; however, all of its features are rarely capitalized. A common household computer does not need the same features as that of a big company. If these features were all purchased separately, it would be convenient for consumers because their systems would only contain what they needed. However, I think they should release bundle packages rather than having to pay for each individual feature.

What exactly are Intel’s motives behind these principles? It seems as though they just want to squeeze more money out of its consumers. The author even mentions a “power-on fee,” a charge for turning on your computer, and for extra money, it would turn on faster. In my opinion, that just makes Intel look a bit greedy. As a probable customer, I appreciate the fact that Intel is putting the customer first by trying to make our systems as convenient as possible. However, it seems as though they would be able to input all of these hidden fees and make the process more difficult than it seems. This program could drastically change the world of computers if implemented. I am curious to see if Intel’s plan is adapted into the world of technology and wonder how rapidly it would be picked up by competitors. I also wonder if customers will enjoy the attention to their needs or get fed up with all of these individual purchases as well.

http://www.infoworld.com/t/end-user-hardware/intels-chip-upgrade-program-bold-model-computing-and-beyond-203?page=0,0