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SSDirect Office Relocated

Roger says the two block commute was killing him. Shauna says he just missed being home for lunch. Regardless of the reason, the main work office has been relocated into the newly renovated office complex formerly known as the detached garage in the back yard.

Size wise the new location is a bit less spacious than the downtown location, but still contains plenty of work space and all the needed tech tools required to get the job done. Phones, fax, computers, carpet below and ceiling tiles above. Fortunately, word of mouth advertising has kept Mr. Davies plenty busy without having to maintain an actual presence on the main route.

Prices Plummet

Don't know if you have been monitoring pricing of PC components and systems over the past while, but the times they are a'changing :). In the recent move I came across some pricing lists from last year. 16 MB Ram SIMMs were $495 last year! Today the same chip is hovering around $110. My 486 "Power System" from years past is no longer considered very powerful anymore and my starter system today is now "just" a Pentium 120 Mhz CPU machine. Can pricing/power keep spiraling down/up forever (or even in the near future). Well maybe not forEVER but yes, it seems to be likely for the foreseeable future. Basic system pricing will hover around the same price points, but power of these "basic" systems will just keep on climbing up.

The unfortunate side effect of this phenomenon is that the computer that you bought from me last month is already obsolete. The up side is that all you new customers and/or upgraders get much more bang for the buck. It does take some thought on your part as to just when you are going to jump onto the tech bandwagon. Make sure that the system you select is going to do it for you today. Buying for the future really doesn't make much sense yet because if you don't need it right now, tomorrow the price is likely to drop through the floor on you. On the other hand if you wait and wait you will miss a lot of essential hands on training that you can only develop by having your own system. It is a delicate balancing act.

Get out your Vaporware Detectors

ARRGGGHH. Bad manufacturers .. Bad, boys. I just have to get this off my brain. It just makes me crazy. Here it goes .. Why is all the hype in all the magazines for months before any real products show up for sale. Examples? How about 3M's LS-120 drive? It is supposed to replace your existing floppy drive capabilities and also provide 120 MB storage on special factory formatted LS-120 floppy size disks. Six months ago it was hot stuff in all the trade magazines. Did any suppliers carry the thing? No. It is only now starting to appear here and there, and still not for general upgrades. Example Two. US Robotics new 56K X2 technology. US Robotics modems have been labeled as "Upgradable to .." for the past three months. How many times have I had to explain to some gullible soul that the modem they just bought is really only the same old 28.8 modem, that is now with compression called a 33.6, that was in the box the month before. The elusive X2 upgrade is hoped for, anticipated, promised, but still probably only a gleam in some software engineers eye and will only work if the same technology is installed at the other end of the telephone line as well. No definitive pricing or delivery dates are yet available. You can put your name down on an "I've been a good boy, Santa" list via internet or 1-800 call and they will get back to you (maybe) when an ACTUAL X2 upgrade is REALLY available for distribution. Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with the old USR Modem. It is one of my favorite recommendations to customers. What IS wrong is the misleading and manipulative marketing of an theoretical enhancement long before it can ever be delivered to the general public. No wonder I'm so messed up.

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Please address comments to rdavies@ssdirect.com. Thanks!

Revised: June 27, 2001 Design Copyright 1996-2000 by Roger Davies for Soft Serve Direct (SSDirect - Computer Consulting, PC Sales, and Service). Permission is granted for individual use and reproduction provided that this document remains intact, with this copyright message clearly visible.

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