Comments on: Meet the cheapest laptop in the world

The $150 Medison Celebrity laptop

[atheria]

And then the website goes down...

You gotta love it. C|net reports an inexpensive laptop and the website goes berzerk... No email, no support, no nothing. OUCH!

[atheria]

And then the website goes down...

You gotta love it. C|net reports an inexpensive laptop and the website goes berzerk... No email, no support, no nothing. OUCH!

[peter.mortensen]

A few facts...

This is ridiculous...

1. Nobody has seen this PC yet. The company could easily have shipped a few working first lot production samples to the press to establish some baseline confidence...they haven't.
2. Any laptop must be approved for the various countries requirements concerning power CE/UL etc. and RF (WiFi) e.g. FCC. Also a lot of other tests are needed for environmental stress (e.g. ESD, vibration, temperatures etc.). Thus they must have quite a few units already assembled. No matter what, the quality of this product is highly questionable - if there is a product.
2. Nobody seem to know the contract manufacturer in Brazil. Logistically the cost of transporting components to Brazil would make it an expensive place to produce a laptop I believe. China has a lot of the components manufactured locally for example. And the salary of assembly factory workers in Brazil might be lower than the US$ 60-80 per month in Guangdong or similar areas of China, but there is just no way that can explain the much lower price.
3. There are only a very few not very convincing photos of this laptop on a not very professional web site. The design seem to be the same as the M540SE from the Taiwanese vendor Clevo: http://www.clevo.com.tw/products/M540SE.asp
4. The terms of use and privacy policy was a simple copy of Apple's. Now they've changed it to "We are reviewing our legal information and will update this page as soon as possible.". Not exactly very convincing for a company already starting to take orders.
5. Their contact phone numbers are now closed - perhaps due to too many calls.
6. The component purchasing deals possible with Intel, VIA (I assume they make the core chipset), the display manufacturer, the battery manufacturer etc. depend on the commitment to order high volumes and none of these vendors will sell at a very low cost to a company with no track record. E.g. a low cost manufacturer like Acer should be able to get much better deals with these vendors.
7. The web site is just very unprofessional. I was trying to get to the accessory site for RAM and ended up on an empty page: http://www.swedeltaco.se/. I also clicked on the Medison icon on the accessory page and landed on a Microsoft web site for Windows Live Messenger. Gosh this is idiotic.
8. The guy behind it "Valdi Ivancic" might be a dreamer who don't understand the total cost structure of running a business. He might actually believe in this himself! At some point, if he is not living somewhere in a rain forest in Brazil, he will have to find ways to pay for warranty repairs and returns.
9. If this product is real, it would make a whole lot more sense to set the price significantly higher. If they could really deliver this product at US$150, they would surely quickly get into a situation of having unacceptable delivery times due to limitations in the production capacity. Obviously any business person would raise the price to maximize profit and adjust the demand to what can be delivered.

Let's be real...the guy behind this have no experience in the laptop industry and I can't see anything real that gives me confidence to spend even US$ 150 on this.

[peter.mortensen]

A few facts...

This is ridiculous...

1. Nobody has seen this PC yet. The company could easily have shipped a few working first lot production samples to the press to establish some baseline confidence...they haven't.
2. Any laptop must be approved for the various countries requirements concerning power CE/UL etc. and RF (WiFi) e.g. FCC. Also a lot of other tests are needed for environmental stress (e.g. ESD, vibration, temperatures etc.). Thus they must have quite a few units already assembled. No matter what, the quality of this product is highly questionable - if there is a product.
2. Nobody seem to know the contract manufacturer in Brazil. Logistically the cost of transporting components to Brazil would make it an expensive place to produce a laptop I believe. China has a lot of the components manufactured locally for example. And the salary of assembly factory workers in Brazil might be lower than the US$ 60-80 per month in Guangdong or similar areas of China, but there is just no way that can explain the much lower price.
3. There are only a very few not very convincing photos of this laptop on a not very professional web site. The design seem to be the same as the M540SE from the Taiwanese vendor Clevo: http://www.clevo.com.tw/products/M540SE.asp
4. The terms of use and privacy policy was a simple copy of Apple's. Now they've changed it to "We are reviewing our legal information and will update this page as soon as possible.". Not exactly very convincing for a company already starting to take orders.
5. Their contact phone numbers are now closed - perhaps due to too many calls.
6. The component purchasing deals possible with Intel, VIA (I assume they make the core chipset), the display manufacturer, the battery manufacturer etc. depend on the commitment to order high volumes and none of these vendors will sell at a very low cost to a company with no track record. E.g. a low cost manufacturer like Acer should be able to get much better deals with these vendors.
7. The web site is just very unprofessional. I was trying to get to the accessory site for RAM and ended up on an empty page: http://www.swedeltaco.se/. I also clicked on the Medison icon on the accessory page and landed on a Microsoft web site for Windows Live Messenger. Gosh this is idiotic.
8. The guy behind it "Valdi Ivancic" might be a dreamer who don't understand the total cost structure of running a business. He might actually believe in this himself! At some point, if he is not living somewhere in a rain forest in Brazil, he will have to find ways to pay for warranty repairs and returns.
9. If this product is real, it would make a whole lot more sense to set the price significantly higher. If they could really deliver this product at US$150, they would surely quickly get into a situation of having unacceptable delivery times due to limitations in the production capacity. Obviously any business person would raise the price to maximize profit and adjust the demand to what can be delivered.

Let's be real...the guy behind this have no experience in the laptop industry and I can't see anything real that gives me confidence to spend even US$ 150 on this.

[alexanderstollznow]

exactly what a journalist should be doing

personally, i would have thought this is exactly what a journalist should be doing ie putting up $150 and having a look at the product if it turns up. if it seems suspicious or unlikely to any of you, then here is the perfect way to test it. if it is not a legitimate product, or a scam, that will become obvious soon enough, and the public scrutiny will be effective negative advertising. if it turns out to be as claimed, then the public scrutiny will be deservedly positive advertising.

[alexanderstollznow]

exactly what a journalist should be doing

personally, i would have thought this is exactly what a journalist should be doing ie putting up $150 and having a look at the product if it turns up. if it seems suspicious or unlikely to any of you, then here is the perfect way to test it. if it is not a legitimate product, or a scam, that will become obvious soon enough, and the public scrutiny will be effective negative advertising. if it turns out to be as claimed, then the public scrutiny will be deservedly positive advertising.

[Canizorro]

Over reacting?

From what I understand, this is a blog. This is not a review, nor is it news article. He didn't state in his blog that you should go and buy this laptop. He also stated that it might be too good to be true and ordered one to find out for the rest of us. These responses of "unacceptable journalism" have no merit. If it is a scam, then the author will let us know. He's not going to assume it's a scam and write it off. That would be unacceptable journalism.

[Canizorro]

Over reacting?

From what I understand, this is a blog. This is not a review, nor is it news article. He didn't state in his blog that you should go and buy this laptop. He also stated that it might be too good to be true and ordered one to find out for the rest of us. These responses of "unacceptable journalism" have no merit. If it is a scam, then the author will let us know. He's not going to assume it's a scam and write it off. That would be unacceptable journalism.

[mishani]

Yes, but not quite

I agree that it is right for a journalist to test claims and report, but it would seem logical to show some more caution in writing. The one concern in the article was (temporary) inability to place the order, not the incredible price breakhrough (an sub-5 lb laptop with a 14" screen which itself is relatively rare at any price, for $150) from a company nobody has heard about, sold though another little known company.

[mishani]

Yes, but not quite

I agree that it is right for a journalist to test claims and report, but it would seem logical to show some more caution in writing. The one concern in the article was (temporary) inability to place the order, not the incredible price breakhrough (an sub-5 lb laptop with a 14" screen which itself is relatively rare at any price, for $150) from a company nobody has heard about, sold though another little known company.

[amdlover]

it is a real deal

i called the distribution center and they assured me that this is a real laptop and not a scam. they were nice in telling me that the laptop is going threw like the fcc to get all it certification and stuff. and the lady told me that if i did not receive a laptop in 4-6 weeks i would get a full refund

[tccedar]

Real Deal - Really?!

Where was this "distribution center?" What's the phone #? Publish this info so
others can check your facts. If they were actually contacted, what would you
expect them to say? --"Okay, you caught us. This is actually a total scam. " Of
course not. They would tell you how honest they are. I wouldn't drop a dime on
this thing.

[amdlover]

it is a real deal

i called the distribution center and they assured me that this is a real laptop and not a scam. they were nice in telling me that the laptop is going threw like the fcc to get all it certification and stuff. and the lady told me that if i did not receive a laptop in 4-6 weeks i would get a full refund

[tccedar]

Real Deal - Really?!

Where was this "distribution center?" What's the phone #? Publish this info so
others can check your facts. If they were actually contacted, what would you
expect them to say? --"Okay, you caught us. This is actually a total scam. " Of
course not. They would tell you how honest they are. I wouldn't drop a dime on
this thing.

[Miep.Visser]

minimum wages in Brazil

Computers in Brazil are about 100-150% MORE expensive than in the USA because of huge import taxes.
Minimum wages in Brazil are aprx USD 200 per month.

Does this help?

[Miep.Visser]

minimum wages in Brazil

Computers in Brazil are about 100-150% MORE expensive than in the USA because of huge import taxes.
Minimum wages in Brazil are aprx USD 200 per month.

Does this help?

[Canizorro]

The caution is there...

Again if this was a news article or review, I could see a need to be more informative with what might be a scam. However, this is a blog. He wants to try this notebook out and stated what facts he knew. He did state that this product might be too good to be true, as well as his difficulty in ordering the product. This should be caution enough for a blog. Any conclusions that this product is impossible to manufacture at that price point or of a company being unfitting due to it's size and location are premature and unfounded. When he does get the product or doesn't, then he will give the information that will prove if this product is what it claims to be.

[Canizorro]

The caution is there...

Again if this was a news article or review, I could see a need to be more informative with what might be a scam. However, this is a blog. He wants to try this notebook out and stated what facts he knew. He did state that this product might be too good to be true, as well as his difficulty in ordering the product. This should be caution enough for a blog. Any conclusions that this product is impossible to manufacture at that price point or of a company being unfitting due to it's size and location are premature and unfounded. When he does get the product or doesn't, then he will give the information that will prove if this product is what it claims to be.

[dragonbiker]

You gets whats you pays for.....

The first question I have, what happens when if it doesn't work??
How long to get it back if you do send it back???
With the incidence of battery fires, how likely is this to happen???
Granted, its just what I'm looking for, but when I can but a refurbished NAME Brand with a warranty for the same price....

[dragonbiker]

You gets whats you pays for.....

The first question I have, what happens when if it doesn't work??
How long to get it back if you do send it back???
With the incidence of battery fires, how likely is this to happen???
Granted, its just what I'm looking for, but when I can but a refurbished NAME Brand with a warranty for the same price....

[jackparker]

I ordered one.

I ordered one of these $150 laptops. I paid using a credit card that guarantees delivery or a refund so I don't think I can lose. When/if I receive this 'puter I'm going to order several more for family members who just want to access the NET without all the Microsoft problems and hassles. I'm especially anxious to see if I can replace the hard drive and install MS Windows on it (just for grins).

[jackparker]

I ordered one.

I ordered one of these $150 laptops. I paid using a credit card that guarantees delivery or a refund so I don't think I can lose. When/if I receive this 'puter I'm going to order several more for family members who just want to access the NET without all the Microsoft problems and hassles. I'm especially anxious to see if I can replace the hard drive and install MS Windows on it (just for grins).