Confused Customer

The consumers had never had it so good. At the same time, they never got confused so much. The amount of choices they have today is bewildering. Take for example, the Pentium III-based machines. The price ranges from as low as Rs 35,000 in the case of a GID machine to as high as Rs 60,000 for a top-of-the-line MNC brand.

That's not all. You can get a Pentium II-based system for less that Rs 25,000 from a GID. Then you have the Celeron-based systems which can be had in the region of Rs 30,000.

That is as far as machines built around Intel microprocessors are concerned. You also have the choice of buying machines based on Cyrix and AMD processors. These are priced even lower than whatever Intel processors-based machines are able to offer. And if you want to go even more lower, check out the IDT Winchip-based machines.

In this scenario, what can a poor hapless user do. How does he make a decision about what to buy and what to avoid? More often than not, in the case of a first time user the decision is based on recommendations from friends, relatives and acquaintances. Now, without doubt the advice always is well meaning but not exactly what the actual user requires. What he needs is a clear idea which should take into account his requirements.

In fact, awareness is a key factor here. The user is mostly not aware of which is the right machine for him. For example, in the user wants to do simple word processing, any low-end system with the most basic processor will do. On the other hand, if he wants to do high-end graphics then he would require a faster machine which can support his load.

This brings us to the question, do the vendors keep users in mind when they offer newer and newer systems. Also, what about the microprocessor producers like Intel. As far as the hardware vendors are concerned, they get excited with newer and faster processors they are able to offer more and more powerful systems to their customers.

However, nobody asks the customer whether he wants faster machines or he wants more efficient machines. Rather than going in for more speed, vendors should try to reduce the total cost of ownership. This would not only buy them customer loyalty, they would be able to get in more first time users in their fold who normally would have shied away because of the plethora of choices in the market.