[Hands0n]

No, I am not losing the plot. I do believe that this article belongs here for reasons that you will read in a moment.

Personally, I don't think that this is entirely a bad deal at all ..... with caveats - you are paying over the 18 months a "cost of funding" which may or may not be your cup of tea. It is, nevertheless, an interesting bit of PC World spin.


Want a MacBook Air for £949? Pop over to PC World's website and order the skinny Apple and an HSDPA wireless broadband package from carrier 3 and the retailer will knock £250 off the price of the Air.

Catches? Well, to get £250 off, you have to pay 3 £35 a month for the next 18 months - a total of £630. There's also a data-transfer limit of 3GB a month on the deal. 3's HSDPA network delivers speeds of up to 2.8Mb/s. The USB modem and SIM come bundled with the laptop free of charge.

Oh, and you'll have to wait until 11 February before you can take possession of your Air - right now the deal is for pre-orders only.

The truly budget conscious - or Apple haters, for that matter - can get a Windows laptop for free. That's an Intel Celeron-based Advent, but our choice would be Packard Bell's 7in Eee PC-like XS20, which you can have from PC World for 50 quid. Other PCs range in price from £50 to £300.

But of course, you've still got to cough up that £630 for the next 18 months.

Article source: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/02/07/pc_world_3_cheaper_macbook_air/


So what do you think? Are 3 getting a bit more competitive and hungry? It seems that they are looking up all sorts of bed partners.

[Ben]

IMHO it's a stupid deal. That's £5 a month more than the old Vodafone Mobile Broadband cost, for 18 months. With the prices you can get 3G Mobile Broadband at now you'd be looking at a £360 saving over the contract period rather than the measly £250 up front.

Still, for some people this may be appropriate, who am I to judge! Anything that keeps those 3G modems selling.

[chaslam]

Im actually championing this at our local store. Luckily for our store we have me (:D) and one of the new managers who have started have come over from a 3 store where she used to be a manager, so thankfully, there are 2 of us that actually know what they are talking about, but the stores where the staff dont know much about phones, it can get a bit complicated.

Basically, its BB £15 a month with a £20 add on which you get 200 free texts and month and a free or discounted laptop. In essence, if you need an internet connection, looking to buy a cheap or even free laptop, and want to spread the cost, then its good. If its simply just a mobile internet you need, then vodafone is better.

Its hard for our store, as being one of the biggest PC worlds in the UK we have a vodafone stand, its a bit of a tedious situation. Obviously we want vodafone to do well in our stores as its a great product at a great price, however its now become strange, as we are having 3 and vodafone in the same store with very competitive deals, and it can be quite confusing with the different tariffs for the average punter.

[3GScottishUser]

Why would anyone want to pay 3 £20 a month more for 18 months (£360) when the normal free USB modem and 3GB price per month is £15 to save £250 on an Apple computer. They (like me) might be lumbered with a device that has little usable coverage!!

What a stupid offer and hell mend anyone who falls for it!!!

[3g-g]

I believe what you're trying to say 3GSU is "suckered in by a fancy new Apple Mac"!

I'm not quite sure how advertising £250 off the Air yet in the long run having to pay £380 more for it just to get some 3G mobile broadband can be perceived as a deal?!

If you buy a Macbook Air, pay the full whack and subscribe to the Cloud for a year, that's £83! What's that, about £300 less than taking a 3 modem?

[3GScottishUser]

I am unsure as to how the offer can advertise the dongle and £35 a month for 18 months as a valid price when the network and dealers offer the same package for £15 a month.

There is something very sneaky about this tinkering with one price and showing the increased cost as savings against something else.

I just hope folks have a decent grasp of basic arithmetic and force the likes of PC World to think again about this type of creative marketing.

[miffed]

hmm , 3GB for £35PM on an 18 month contract ?

Whats that company that gives you 3GB for £15 on PAYG ??

....Oh yes , its Three !

Or , you could go for a seperate 3 Broadband 3GB package , and get exactly the same deal for £15 per month - free modem and save yourself £270 per year
hey - you could put £250 towards a Macbook air if you wanted - and still have enough change to treat the family to cod & chips ?

I think Three are trying to prey on the stupid here

[gorilla]

If I was in the market for a new laptop and I had no landline or broadband at home, then this would appeal to me. It's basically a loan that gives you mobile data and a laptop at an affordable (?) price.

A better offer would obviously be, £15 per month for the 3 data deal and the dealer throws in a free laptop!

[chaslam]

Bear in mind its not only on the MBA, its on about 15 other laptops aswell, one being an Advent that is free when you take the deal out. We worked out that if you got one of the free advents you would actually be saving a very small amount, about £15.

3GSU, they also get 3 days to take it home and use it as much as the like. If they find the havent got any signal or they dont like something about it, they can return it for a full refund. 3 Days isnt long, but thats 3s policy, not PCWs.

[Hands0n]

I think Three are trying to prey on the stupid here

More like PCW really - 3 are only supplying the usual 3G stuff - unless, of course, 3 are profit sharing with PCW, which I doubt.

[Ben]

More like PCW really - 3 are only supplying the usual 3G stuff - unless, of course, 3 are profit sharing with PCW, which I doubt.
Well, it's a special tariff, so it'll have biiig commission on. I'd imagine it was designed for exactly the sort of promotion it's being used on.

[Hands0n]

Hmmm, good point. I hadn't considered that. Whatever next?

[Ben]

Hmmm, good point. I hadn't considered that. Whatever next?
Uber cashback, maybe? Who knows how the channel will abuse this interesting/odd tariff!

[solo12002]

PC World that hard up they have to sell mobile phones now, never mind sat nav>