# emachines! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 17, 1999, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emachines/4148 "1999-10-17T15:51:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 1999, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emachines/4148/21 "1999-10-23T20:02:00Z")
Okay, got the scoop from the paper. 1. free printer? They are usually okay printouts but very slow & use a lot of ink, so the manf gets the money back when people keep buying those $30 refills. 2. MailIn $100-150 Rebate? Surprising, but most people don’t mail that in. Such rebates only cost the comp. about $20 per computer. 3. Internet $400 or rebates. This requires a three year contract & if you cancel early, like the first year, you MUST pay $400.00. Also, soon people are going to be paying $20-$40 a month for high speed access, ASDL, or cable. emachine customers have to stay with that $21 plan then or pay up. 4. Only a couple software programs come with them. Youll be spending another 200-400 bucks for more software. 5. Nice hardware specs, 32 meg ram, 400 mhz, etc, but they can’t be updated unless you buy a whole new emachine… 6. emachines only sells whole computers.If you already got your own modem, well, youll have to use the one in the emachine. Cheap modems, those. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 1999, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emachines/4148/22 "1999-10-23T20:06:00Z")
Handy wrote: > [@](#): > > Snarkberry, $75? Thats is pretty low but then couldnt you just put in your own modem so it stays connected? Heh, I didn’t think of that. Too late now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emachines/4148.md?page=1)