WOW!

By Wayne Maruna

 

A recent issue of one of the monthly AARP publications featured an ad for “A Simple to Use Computer Designed Especially for Seniors”.  The ad is from “WOW! Computer”, though you may see an ad for a Telekin computer which is the same thing with a different label.  “Easy to read. Easy to see. Easy to use. Just plug it in!” But before we do that, let’s talk about a couple of things.

 

First, who are these ‘Seniors’ being targeted by the ads?  After all, AARP will start marketing to you when you approach your 50th birthday.  The product’s website pictures what appear to be Medicare-eligible smiling grandparents teleconferencing with their smiling young grandkids.  In my computer service work, I run into a lot of clients who match the demographic and struggle to wage war with their computers. But guess what? A lot of younger adults do too.

 

While the idea of a machine being “easy to read, easy to use, easy to set up” is appealing for sure, let’s consider price. If you order from the ad, you can ‘save’ $200 from a stated MSRP of $1,299, meaning you pay ‘only’ about $1,100.  For that big fat round number, you get a 22” LCD touch screen monitor built into an “all-in-one” chassis, meaning the monitor and the computer are one and the same, similar to some Dell, HP, and Apple desktop computers.  The heart of the unit is its Intel Celeron processor, which is one of Intel’s less desirable CPUs.  For memory, you’re given a mere 2GB of RAM, and for storage you get 32GB, both about what you would get in a current mid-range smart phone. Apparently the speakers are built into the unit, as is wireless connectivity (like in a laptop), and you get a wireless keyboard and mouse and a budget webcam.  That sums up the hardware.

 

As for an operating system, yes, we have no Windows.  Yes, we have no Apple MAC OS.  What we do have is an operating system built upon something called Tiny Core Linux, with a customized application system and user interface. Linux distributions, and there are many to choose from, are generally free. 

 

For comparison’s sake, I did a calculation to see what it would cost to reasonably replicate the WOW! package using component pricing on Amazon.  I am not a fan of all-in-ones because repair and replacement parts can be quite expensive, and if the monitor fails, you’re probably as well off to trash the whole thing.  So I did my costing using a Celeron-based Intel NUC unit, a miniature computer about the size of a plastic sandwich container, easily hidden behind the 22” monitor.  Configuring a system with comparable hardware and the popular Ubuntu Linux operating system came to a total of $429, which is $670 less than the ad price.  Did someone say WOW!?   Granted, this assumes you do your own assembly and set up which for most is not realistic, so let’s call it about $575 with complete aided setup.  You’re still $500 ahead of WOW!  AARP is not doing you any favors here.  

 

In an informal survey of New Bern Computer Users Group members, it was obvious that few had touch screens (other than tablets), and of those that did, most only used them occasionally if at all. So it might be better to ditch the touch and stick with a standard monitor, which would save another $100. If it were me, I’d take that $100 savings and use it to increase memory, storage, and CPU speed.

 

As for application software, with the WOW! you get what they decide you should have and that’s it!  They will provide you with updates, but you cannot install your own software. With a standard Linux system like Ubuntu, while you may not be able to install store-bought software, there are online repositories of hundreds of free software applications that will cover the needs of most of the target audience.  

 

Is there really a ‘best’ computer for ‘seniors’? Who do we call a senior? Isn’t technical skill or aptitude or even the willingness to learn more pertinent than age? How does a person plan to use their computer? How much are they willing to invest in hardware and software? What configuration provides the user the most value?

 

Linux can be a solid alternative, but finding reliable help can be a challenge.  That is where WOW! may offer an advantage, as they offer a $10 monthly subscription fee for ‘VIP Support’, supposedly U.S. based.  But what happens if WOW! folds up their tent?

 

There are too many variables for any one best solution.  Windows machines are flexible and can be surprisingly affordable, and user support is relatively easy to come by, but at times Windows can be downright exasperating. Apple fans say their products ‘just work’. Perhaps that’s true, but nothing is infallible, and you pay a sizeable premium for their products.  If Linux suits your needs, it can be a very inexpensive solution, but getting some non-HP printers working with it can be a challenge. Computers based on the Google Chrome operating system (also Linux based) are inexpensive, self-updating, and easy to use, but present their own compromises. Then too, some people can do well with just a tablet.

 

This much is certain.  If I had $1,100 to spend on a computer, it sure wouldn’t be on the WOW!