Zonbu sells $99 PC - with a catch

I’m sure many of you into computers probably already noticed this a few weeks back. It’s called the Zonbu device and it’s an ultra compact PC device that’s available for $99 dollars - assuming you buy into Zonbu’s subscription plan. Before I get into that, let’s go over the details of this tiny box. The Zonbu PC features:

1.2 GHz VIA C7 ULV processor (or as Zonbu calls it - an “Intel-like” ultra low power CPU - heh)
512MB RAM + 4GB of flash based local storage
Integrated graphics with support for up to 1400 x 1050
Hardware based MPEG-2 acceleration
PC compatible ports for keyboard and mouse
6 USB ports
10/100 Ethernet port

Powering this box is a customized Linux OS based on Gentoo.

Ok. so back to the pricing. I mentioned in the beginning that the box costs $99. There’s an asterick next to the pricing on their website because this $99 dollar price is contigent upon you agreeing to a subscription plan (a 2 year plan that is). Zonbu’s whole plan is to sell you a cheap device and then make money off of an online subscription service which provides the following features:

Automatic backup of data on your PC
Applications and OS maintenance
Free upgrade to latest version of all the applications
Free box replacement guarantee
Unlimited Internet support

Thus, the Zonbu PC is $99 if you agree to a two year subscription plan. Should you choose a month to month plan, then the PC will cost you $249. There are three subscriptions plans. The Zonbu 25 provides you 25GB of online storage space and goes for $12.95 a month. The Zonbu 50 gives you 50GB of space and goes for $14.95 a month. The Zonbu 100 gives you 100GB of space and will set you back $19.95 a month.If you opt for the 2 year subscription, you can always cancel any time and receive a prorated refund of the balance of your remaining subscription.

It’s certainly an interesting way of selling computers. I’m not sure how successful a model this will be - especially since cheapo PC’s now run in the $400 dollar range (or less) and there’s no subscription fee either. Here’s what I would love to have - a small PC like this that has a SSD hard drive and a simple Linux OS. I’d use it as a small media player/email workstation. Who cares about online storage?