For this reason and more, I ended up buying my desktop from Woot. I checked Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), eBay Inc (NASDAQ:EBAY), Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT), and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT), and Woot was the best option. Or Should I say, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) was the best option, more on that in a second.
What Else Can Investors Take Away?
Another investing lesson is, Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) still offers very competitive PCs. Whether I was on Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), in Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY), or looking elsewhere, Hewlett-Packard had computers with specs and prices that were hard to match. In the end I bought an Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) product, and given that I’ve owned Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) products exclusively for the last ten years, that’s saying something.
In fact, I would suggest that Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) should be sending candy and a card to Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) because if nothing else, Windows 8 is causing salespeople to talk to customers more than ever. With Windows 7 or XP, customers generally knew where everything was. With Windows 8, customers are asking a lot more questions.
Windows 8 has some features built-in that Apple can’t match, like live tiles. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s Mountain Lion OS is great, but you essentially get a blank screen with some icons at the bottom. The user has to do the work to keep up with what’s going on. Windows 8’s live tiles update, e-mail, calendar, social networks, finance, and more. At first it’s a little overwhelming, but you come to appreciate the flow of information.
In the end, the main reason I chose to go with Woot (aka Amazon – check the very bottom of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)’s home page if you don’t believe me), was price. I was able to get an HP desktop (my preference) with specs I couldn’t get elsewhere, at a price that no one could match. The takeaway for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stockholders (myself included) is, Apple’s products are expensive enough that sometimes a mainstream customer doesn’t want to spend that much money. When given the choice between a $500 desktop with top of the line specs. Or a $1,200 iMac, the $500 desktop is going to win a lot of the time.
In summary, physical retailers need to make sure their service is up to par. If their associates aren’t friendly or knowledgeable, they will lose sales. Surprisingly, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s Windows 8 may move some customers away from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). Ifit happened with me, a 10 year Apple fan, I’m assuming it could happen with others. While Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) didn’t get my business directly, through one of their subsidiaries, they ultimately won the day.
The article My Computer Buying Experience And The Investment Implications originally appeared on Fool.com is written by Chad Henage.
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