You know what I always miss about the PC world, that you just can’t get when you buy a Mac? All the awesome little trial and cheapo apps the manufacturers include pre-installed on their machines to make a quick buck from the software-developer equivalents of ambulance-chasers.
There’s nothing like being bugged by two different antivirus apps vying for your dough, or a few stray Internet service/online tool/trial-app-that-you-can’t-afford-and-stops-working-ten-days-after-you-turn-on-your-computer-leaving-it-nothing-more-than-a-pointless-icon-on-your-already-trash-filled-desktop icons to make your desktop feel cozy and warm. There’s something about the whole concept that’s just…nostalgic.
But, unfortunately, one of the most notorious purveyors of crapware-riddled machines, Sony, is slowly stepping away from the feels-like-it’s-already-been-used-and-screwed-up experience for its customers, offering them a “Fresh Start” option when they order their VAIOs: Check the box and blammo…it orders the “removal of specific VAIO applications, trial software and games” from their machines.
Ed Bott at ZDNet reviewed the crap-free Sony (no jokes about that being an oxymoron, please…oh wait, just made one!) and liked…no, no, loved it and its crap-free-ness. It does still have some installed apps-Adobe Reader, Java, WinDVD and Roxio Easy Media Creator, and a few Sony utilities. But the obviously-space-wasting additions are gone, departed, no more, dead and buried, adios, ciao, goodbye, see ya. And now Sony’s become massively more appealing to many more users-except a few of them (cough)-all because of this simple consideration of convenience.
Though I suppose Apple’s involvement in the Crap-Up Your Computer Campaign isn’t so cut and dry, either: they include trial versions of iWork and Microsoft Office, and they do press you to start up a MobileMe 30-day trial…
Mr. Speaker, I yield the floor to the respectable Reader delegation. Has crapware tortured you for as long as you can remember? Did it eat your TV dinners, play your video games, and sleep with your wife? Is Apple a member of the evil Unnecessary-Application Alliance? Debate for 50 minutes, then we’ll have a floor vote.
If you ask me, if Sony really wanted to get rid of crapware, it would stop installing Windows altogether. Ooh, burn.
Office and iWork are no longer installed on new Macs. The include only Leopard and iLife.
Apple no longer includes 30-day trial versions of Office or iWork on their computers. iWork can be downloaded as a trial from the Apple website, however.
But yes, you do get bugged several times to set up a MobileMe account on your initial start-up.
when I got my first HP desktop 3 years ago it had iTunes preinstalled and that was what got me into using iTunes,then getting an iPod 5g, iPod touch and then a MacBook and all things apple generally.
So preinstalled apps aren't always bad. Lol. If they are decent like iTunes that is.