They just spun it wrong.......without the subsidized software on the laptop, we can't get the $50 discount.

I will now never buy a Sony Laptop.

Exactly.

@svgjjc: Either way, you pay more for a clean OS... great marketing strategy.

That is just wrong! $50 is Highway robbery! $40 is a lot more reasonable. Come on, Sony. Help a brother out.

start > control panel > add/remove programs

I was thinking about getting a Vaio laptop as a destop replacement. Screw them if they I will pay an extra 50 bucks to not put crap on my pc.

Wow... Just wow.

Isn't the purpose of the crapware to lower the cost of the laptop?

'We'll pay Sony, then they can release a product for cheaper.'

I don't like it, but isn't it a legitimate reason?

insert OS > reset > any key to boot from CD > DONE

@lilaliendog:
Exactly. How hard is it to remove programs or just re-image the machine when you get it?

@lilaliendog: Never removes everything on a Windows PC. I'm hoping this is a fresh OS install, with no adware.

Never Installing>Uninstalling

It's funny, since all the adware came out, you notice how we never get original Windows discs anymore? No we get ones molested by the likes of Dell and HP so you reinstall the OS, you get a fresh install of every other thing too, including adware. I like Dell's "clean" version with their Vostro's especially - which includes crap software from Dell and Google - Can I just get the OS please?

Hey Sony, how much to install Linux? $250? $300?

Hell If it comes with a legit copy of the opsys of your choice and a driver disk (which if you bought it from Sony it obviously does) then why not just uninstall the programs and clean the registry or in a really bad case, why not just "Nuke & Pave" ?

Uninstalling bloated apps = Free
Opsys & driver reload = Free

why does sony have such a bad marketing team? they need to fire those lazy fuckers. except the ones who came up w/ the naked chicks and dead goats for god of war

I am trying to figure out what makes this latest inspired move by Sony any different from plain old extortion.

Still thinking.

Seriously. I love the ps3 and some other sony products I've had, but this is just LAME. Vaio's are some of the most EXPENSIVE windows lap tops out there too!

Can I charge them $50 because I don't want their laptop?

Kind of put's things in perspective doesn't it.

A PC manufacture charging you $49.99 to take the completely useless junky software off your computer... You could keep the software on there and start using it, but usually it's a "Lite" version or a trial version so you'll have to upgrade to keep using it. Or have it removed for 50 bucks and go out and buy your own software for let's say $250... Either way, bend over.

A Mac comes with incredibly useful, powerful and fun software - for free - out of the box... or $79 bucks if you want to have the latest and greatest.

Huh.

Well, I guess it's still cheaper and safer than having Geek Squad charge you $100+ to do the same thing.

Way to shoot yourself in the face, Sony. Bravo.

Fortunately most morons don't recognize crapware for what it is, I just have to wonder how many RICH morons with a penchant for purchasing EVERY upgrade without even looking will be disappointed that there brand new, super upgraded laptop "Doesn't DO anything!".

Hopefully the extra $50 is buying you a genuine OS disc, instead of the crappy "restore disc" that all the manufacturers are pushing out now.

And by "restore" they mean "Restores all the crapware to your pc"

When I buy laptop, I Fdisk the fucker and install my unlimited corporate version of XP anyway.

END.OF.STORY.

@nutbastard: There are people *gasp* that install every stinking piece of trial ware or software that comes with a peripheral. I worked on a PC recently that had mouse managers (multiple), Microsoft Intellikey, 2 trial graphics editors and 4 CD burner programs. This was along with a 650MB HP printer software package, when all that was needed was the driver. This is the kind of attitude that causes instability. Mouse managers?!?! WTF?

We can all be happy for the death of the floppy. Now anytime you buy a product, and it comes with a disc it is filled to the 700MB+ brim with crapware.

You want a cheaper PC? You get bloat. End of story. You want a smoking system, then you have to pay for it. Simple economics.

Pretty much every PC vendors has bloat to off set the cost of making your system.

Now get off your lazy butts and start > control panel > add/remove programs

Nuff said!

@svgjjc: basically, its not like they are doing anything bad. Everyone else puts the spyware on their cheapo computers. Im sure when I buy a business class like the Latitude I am paying an extra $50 to cover the costs of having that crap left off.

Although I doubt I would spend the $50, its must easier (and wiser) to just nuke the OS and reinstall fresh to my own specs anyway but I guess if you arent computer savvy it would be worthwhile.

Inevitable unintended side-effect and consequence of Microsoft's losing of all of those court cases re anti-competitive behaviour, subsequent consent decrees and everything else. They wanted to continue to have sole control of the user experience and lost. Everyone kept saying how much of a good thing that was, that vendors now had the freedom to put whatever crap on the PC that they wanted. This is the inevitable down side. Don't forget that the OS is a cost item for the vendors, but the crapware is a revenue item....

Of course those of us who read Gizmodo and Digg everyday have the technical skill and knowhow to remove bloatware easily or wipe the machine, but thats not the point.

Good rule of thumb, if you mother cant do it, its not easy enough. Just because you know how to wipe your brand new laptop does not mean that everyone else knows how to also. My sister purchased a Vaio desktop a few years back and it was so crippled that she had to return it twice. She was about to give up when she called me and i walked her through a wipe and clean install of XP, but it still took a few hours.

Simply saying that you can easily add/remove programs is giving Sony a cop out...there is absolutely no reason you should have to spend 3 hours to get your brand new $2000 machine to run properly.

I have both Macs and PCs in my house, and i use them both, but a Sony will now never be one of them

@dirigoDIGITAL: Yes it doesnt come with the junkware on it but the problem with the mac is you have to be lame to own one. Id gladly pay $50 to not be like you.

And I did, thinkpad f0 lyf3 y0.

And they wonder why people download Windows off of the internet. The moment I get a new computer or work on someones a clean version of whatever OS is already installed is getting thrown back on that way there's no extra crap other than what I or anyone else wants installed.

News like this make me wish HD-DVD would have won the battle

@nutbastard: I think the word you're looking for is "Bravia".

@dirigoDIGITAL: FAN BOY FTW!!!

@Thomas Palmer: and steel your porn and post it all over the interwebs

@archercc: lameness is in the eye of the beholder... Get off your moral superiority high horse.

@Stacky Botrus: Exactly

Reminds me of a fast food place in Los Angeles that once they charged me an extra 10 cents to have a Coke with no ice...

@archercc: Yeah, you bought a Thinkpad to be like EVERYONE ELSE.

they don't have windows install discs WITHOUT the bloatware streamlined into the install, so you're paying them the labor costs of going back into the machine and removing the bloatware. lol

@lilaliendog:

If it was so simple sony wouldn't be trying to rob you of $50.00.

@Chillycat:

Hell yes! Re-partition that puppy!

Having just received my new Macbook Pro, so I'm Bi-PC, and kinda neutral... All this talk from Mac users talking about PC/Windows box bloatware need to have a good look at their Leopard install... I see 3 (THREE) trialware/bloatware items. Office, Aperture and iWork. Sure there's no stoopid charge like Sony to not have it, but neither do Dell charge for this "service".

So STFU.

Serious question: What kind of programs are included in "bloatware?"

@Lizard_King:
I know, it's scary. And we let these people vote, for gods sake.

If you guys actually went to the site, you would see that its 25 bucks overall: 50 dollars for Freshstart and minus 25 for the video, photo and works software. I agree its retarded but not 50 bucks retarded...Also this is only available for Vista Business, something I really don't understand.

@dirigoDIGITAL: The only problem with that theory is that in the end you still have a mac, which for my purposes doesnt do anything for me.

@ILikeMacsWhatAboutIT:
Serious Answer: Crippled, trial software from companies you've never heard of, everything from burning software to IM to video streaming 'services', video editors, photo managers, and antivirus.

@ILikeMacsWhatAboutIT: It depends. It could be anything from loads of demo software, most of which no one will ever touch, or things like international font support; where you have 1.5 gigs of space taken up by Portuguese, Albanian, and Farsi fonts. I've taken that much bloat off of several of my Mac machines, and that is just the unnecessary font support.