28

Started in the 90s was wildly successful at selling home computers to the UK public. However the company went into administration in 2002 due to the inability to sell anymore computers because well... No one needed a new computer. (Capitalism is an efficient system)

I remember playing age of empires on one of these things.

top 9 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] HakFoo@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 3 weeks ago

I sort of wonder why the Dells and HPs of the world outlasted the second-tier manufacturers like Tiny.

They seem to do a lot more custom engineering (custom cases, bespoke mainboards and PSUs, weird designs to skimp on cooling or power delivery), but even at the "we're ordering an entire shipping container of boards" level is that really cheaper overall than just taking an off-the-shelf mainboard or case and outting your own sticker on it?

[-] Gorb@hexbear.net 3 points 3 weeks ago

I think it was largely that Dell and HP could enter the business market by selling units cheaper in bulk where Tiny only ever really existed in home computing. Most Tiny PC's were good for checking email and installing AOL bloatware up until the end of XP where vista and win 7 pushed people to buy new devices. By then it was too late for Tiny and Dell/HP had sold laptops and desktops to basically every school and business in the country even unseating IBMs dominance.

Its actually quite hard to find much info about Tiny online. The most i can find in a writeup is that "sales dropped" and that was about it.

[-] buckykat@hexbear.net 3 points 3 weeks ago

Nobody needed a new computer in 2002? Just after the release of Windows XP?

[-] Gorb@hexbear.net 3 points 3 weeks ago

Their PCs for general home computing lasted at least until the late XP and vista era. Our one saw 95, 98, ME and XP before it finally got replaced with a Dell.

Their kit was decent and partially upgradable which is why they saw quite a long lifespan. But Dell/HP took over pretty quickly releasing smaller and cheaper devices to schools and businesses which was a market Tiny never managed to enter afaik. Commercial areas were dominated by IBM devices at the time then switching to Dell/HP. The home market was never really that lucrative since home users rarely replace computers unlike businesses who throw them into landfill for fun.

[-] buckykat@hexbear.net 4 points 3 weeks ago

I remember running xp on hardware made for 9x, it sucked shit.

[-] Gorb@hexbear.net 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

It did but it could still check email and thats as far as most people would go. I don't have any distinct memories of how well the PC performed but i do remember waiting literal hours for age of empires to install.

Also the full Tiny home PC kit was like £1000 back then which was A LOT of money so many people were reluctant to replace. Also the concept of replacing tech for upgrades wasn't even established in the general concious yet as it was more common to use something till it breaks.

[-] buckykat@hexbear.net 2 points 3 weeks ago

A machine that started on 95 wouldn't even have any USB ports.

I'd sooner believe that they failed because of trying to just serve the small and irrelevant UK market than because people just didn't need new computers in 2002.

[-] Gorb@hexbear.net 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

You say this but I was still using floppies in the early 2000s and didn't really start using USB until i got my "vista ready" laptop in 2007. The mouse and keyboard outlasted the Tiny PC as well staying until they basically dissolved. Even the printer stuck around for a while until it became unusable

But yes also not expanding outside the UK market didn't help at all

[-] buckykat@hexbear.net 1 points 3 weeks ago

terf island L tbh

this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2024
28 points (96.7% liked)

chapotraphouse

13438 readers
974 users here now

Banned? DM Wmill to appeal.

No anti-nautilism posts. See: Eco-fascism Primer

Vaush posts go in the_dunk_tank

Dunk posts in general go in the_dunk_tank, not here

Don't post low-hanging fruit here after it gets removed from the_dunk_tank

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS