LeeJend said:
One of these days we need to get SAZAR to cough up how Dell can give away a free monitor, printer and copy of Windows with each PC and still be making a profit.
LOL, well, I somehow doubt that Dell is paying the full retail price for that Windows liscense which you would be paying if you were to get a full install at a given retail outlet. More then likely, they're still getting some sort of discount on the thing from Microsoft, for buying the software in bulk... Given volume sales, MS can afford to offload the stuff relatively cheap, vs. what they charge an individual. That cost, is probably bundled into the cost of the PC as well, so whether it's "free" or not might be another matter... The monitor might itself be "free", or might have it's cost equated into the "packaged price". Not sure on that one...
I actually do have some idea, at least of some of the goings on in the past, as I used to know several people who worked in/owned their own OEM business. They also had contracts, and there were programs that as an Intel partner, they qualified for... I was also given access to the Microsoft dealer channels at that time, through a given login ID/password by the store owner, but that's another story entirely. 'nuff said...
As to some of the hardware, again OEM contracts with companies such as Intel, if it still holds that is, means they're not necessarily paying full retail price for the same hardware either. With enough discounts, provided through contract OEM to supplier/development company, this can help cut down costs...
I wouldn't personally suggest anyone ask Sazar about any of this, as such business agreements, contracts, or partnerships, are not always the sort of thing the respective companies might want to be common knowledge. Not being an employee, there isn't much that could be said wrt me, and as to the person I knew, she passed on many years ago in an unfortunate way. Nothing could be said wrt her either, albeit for many years afterwards, I still remained quite... Sazar is another story, and for obvious reasons would know things, his employer might prefer he gives no mention to. A web discussion, is not worth risking one's job on...
Oh, and BTW, on one that I don't think is kept under wraps, and to give an idea how this can work; Cisco can put some muscle behind their own certification programs; by offering companies a certain percentage discount on purchased Cisco hardware, if the company in question has hired a given number of CCNAs and CCNPs. Even a 10% discount (though I'm not sure of the exact %) on a 6000 series switch, can be a lot of mulah, and hence provide a certain incentive towards hiering some Cisco certified individuals...
