It looks like the free PC will continue to elude the Macintosh community. Last year, a startup called FreeMac announced that it would give away 1 million free iMacs to customers who didn’t mind being roped into a three year Earthlink ISP deal and on-screen advertisements. FreeMac has been forced to change gears after claiming that Apple won’t cooperate with their plan.
Folks who signed up are getting this e-letter from FreeMac Founder & CEO Jonathan Strum.
It has been about 10 weeks since our last e-mail update, and I wanted to bring you up to speed on where things are at FreeMac.com. As you know, we originally announced our intention to distribute free Apple iMac computers. Prior to making that announcement we had discussions with Apple Computer regarding our business, and had been encouraged to proceed. Unfortunately, Apple Computer had a change of heart and decided not to allow us to purchase Apple iMacs from them at wholesale prices.
Frankly, we were surprised by Apple’s decision, but we were not discouraged. We advised them that we would still be willing to acquire iMacs by paying FULL RETAIL PRICE! And Apple Computer still said no. They did more than say no. They prohibited their major retail accounts from selling us iMacs — even at regular retail prices! And so we’ve reached a point where we have to deliver what I know is some very disappointing news to many of you. We simply aren’t being allowed to purchase the iMac computers to distribute to you. Apple Computer has left us no choice here.
We are, however, moving in an exciting direction and I wanted you to be among the first to know about it. In approximately 10 days, we will be re-launching our company as NadaPC.com. NadaPC.com will be providing a FREE Internet appliance to qualified end-users. Soon you will have the opportunity to receive the latest type of Internet connectivity device — one that makes surfing the Web, enjoying multimedia content and sending and receiving e-mail easier than ever!
We’ll be launching the NadaPC.com web site very shortly. As someone who expressed interest in receiving a free iMac, you will have the “inside track” on signing up for this exciting new Internet appliance first. We’ll give you an e-mail heads-up when it’s time to register. And the good news is that with so many different Internet appliance manufacturers in the marketplace, this time we know that we’ll be able to deliver.
Finally, I’d like to thank you for your incredible patience. We never imagined that we would have to change direction like this — and we were willing to go to any lengths to stay on track — even paying the full retail price to acquire enough Apple iMac computers to distribute to you. But we’re anxious to launch NadaPC.com and we’re even more anxious to have you be a part of it all.
