History Main / TheAllegedComputer

** Windows 11 has a different issue from Windows 10, which also angered people- it's locks out computers that are just over 3 years old by mandating specific types of [=CPUs=] as a minimum. In the middle of a worldwide silicon shortage, cryptomining craze and scalper boom, which combined, resulted in shortage of the required [=CPUs=] needed to run the OS. Many are unhappy and some are even angry at Microsoft for the ridiculous and unreasonable list of requirements. It is possible to bypass said requirements (and Microsoft themselves [[https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/ways-to-install-windows-11-e0edbbfb-cfc5-4011-868b-2ce77ac7c70e did put up a guide]] on how to do so), making Microsoft's claims of "security" and "stability" moot point. They did however state that support and updates on unsupported configurations isn't guaranteed, though those on said systems were still reportedly able to receive said updates regardless.

** In the WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail "the facts", Strong Mad apparently "uses" a computer that's just a cardboard box and a paper grocery bag done up to look vaguely like a desktop computer.

** Windows 11 has a different issue from Windows 10, which also angered people- it's locks out computers that are just over 3 years old by mandating specific types of [=CPUs=] as a minimum. In the middle of a worldwide silicon shortage, cryptomining craze and scalper boom, which combined, resulted in shortage of the required [=CPUs=] needed to run the OS. Many are unhappy and some are even angry at Microsoft for the ridiculous and unreasonable list of requirements.

* Ever since the original [=iPad=] came out, numerous Android tablets from a myriad of manufacturers cashed in on the nascent smart device market. While some of them are of merit like Samsung's Galaxy Tab line, lower-end models especially those [[ShoddyKnockoffProduct budget]] devices running off a [=MediaTek=] or Allwinner systems-on-chip tend to end up like this either due to poor design or badly optimised software. Even name-brand tablets like those from Fuhu's Nabi line of children's tablets received criticism for the reasons mentioned above--in the case of Nabi, it suffered from a sluggish UI, had poor battery life and in some cases end up with their batteries bloating up as well. Unfortunately, the predominance of these crap tablets damaged the reputation of Android tablets before the good ones could be launched, causing a vicious cycle of developers not optimising their Android app for tablets because not enough people buy Android tablets and people avoiding Android tablets because apps aren't optimised for them, resulting in the [=iPad=] dominating the market.

* Apple's iOS devices tend to start throttling their speeds as they age in, so as not to stress their ageing lithium batteries too much in theory. In practice, it makes their performance drop off, leading to complaints of both their battery lives and their general performance ageing badly. Apple, naturally, helpfully suggests that the best way to resolve this is to trade in for a newer model.

** Rule of thumb for vintage computing enthusiasts: If you find an old computer with a [=PC-Chips=] brand motherboard and a 486-class CPU, ''run away.'' It's not worth it, and there's a real chance the CPU cache chips on the motherboard are fakes meant to convey the appearance of a more capable motherboard. Other PC Chips boards are acceptable on a case-by-case basis; their 386 boards are solid, if bare-bones, while their Pentium-class boards used relabeled[[note]]or cloned, depending on who you ask[[/note]] versions of VIA, [=SiS=] and Acer chipsets that reportedly weren't as good as the real ones. They were also frequently branded as [="VXpro", "TXpro" and "HXpro"=] despite not being Intel products, which caused confusion among users and techies alike when the Intel chipset drivers for Windows either failed to install or caused system crashes. Yes, even the fact that they tend to use the eye candy GUI BIOS that is American Megatrends [=WinBIOS=] isn’t saving them.
*** It should be noted that the “[=TXpro=]”, “[=HXPro=]” and “[=VXpro=]” monicker chipsets are the works of Acer Labs Inc. (normally shortened to “[=ALi=]”, who would later change their name to “[=ULi=]”, short for Universal Labs Inc., when Acer decided to wash their hands clean off the chipset business and spin them off). PC-Chips aren’t the only cut-rate brand using their chips, they’re just the most prominent. On that note…
*** We should note that PC-Chips are still around today, trading under the name ''ECS''. Their boards are still considered cut-rate and poorly built.

*** And this repeats with Windows 11, which locks out computers that are just over 4 years old by mandating specific types of [=CPUs=] as a minimum. In the middle of a worldwide silicon shortage, cryptomining craze and scalper boom, which combined, resulted in shortage of the required [=CPUs=] needed to run the OS. Many are unhappy and some are angry at Microsoft for the ridiculous and unreasonable list of requirements.

*** And this repeats with Windows 11, which locks out computers that are just over 4 years old by mandating specific types of [=CPUs=] as a minimum. In the middle of a worldwide silicon shortage, cryptomining craze and scalper boom, which combined, resulted in shortage of new the required [=CPUs=] needed to run the OS. Many are unhappy and some are angry at Microsoft for the ridiculous and unreasonable list of requirements.

** Rule of thumb for vintage computing enthusiasts: If you find an old computer with a [=PC-Chips=] brand motherboard and a 486-class CPU, ''run away.'' It's not worth it, and there's a real chance the CPU cache chips on the motherboard are fakes meant to convey the appearance of a more capable motherboard. Other PC Chips boards are acceptable on a case-by-case basis; their 386 boards are solid, if bare-bones, while their Pentium-class boards used relabeled[[note]]or cloned, depending on who you ask[[/note]] versions of VIA, [=SiS=] and Acer chipsets that reportedly weren't as good as the real ones. They were also frequently branded as [="VXpro", "TXpro" and "HXpro"=] despite not being Intel products, which caused confusion among users and techies alike when the Intel chipset drivers for Windows either failed to install or caused system crashes. Yes, even the fact that they tend to use the eye candy GUI BIOS that is American Megatrends WinBIOS isn’t saving them.
*** It should be noted that the “TXpro”, “HXPro” and “VXpro” monicker chipsets are the works of Acer Labs Inc. (normally shortened to “ALi”, who would later change their name to “ULi”, short for Universal Labs Inc., when Acer decided to wash their hands clean off the chipset business and spin them off). PC-Chips aren’t the only cut-rate brand using their chips, they’re just the most prominent. On that note…

** Rule of thumb for vintage computing enthusiasts: If you find an old computer with a [=PC-Chips=] brand motherboard and a 486-class CPU, ''run away.'' It's not worth it, and there's a real chance the CPU cache chips on the motherboard are fakes meant to convey the appearance of a more capable motherboard. Other PC Chips boards are acceptable on a case-by-case basis; their 386 boards are solid, if bare-bones, while their Pentium-class boards used relabeled[[note]]or cloned, depending on who you ask[[/note]] versions of VIA, [=SiS=] and Acer chipsets that reportedly weren't as good as the real ones. They were also frequently branded as [="VXpro", "TXpro" and "HXpro"=] despite not being Intel products, which caused confusion among users and techies alike when the Intel chipset drivers for Windows either failed to install or caused system crashes.

* The UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 isn't spared from any hardware issues either, the most infamous of which is the "Yellow Light of Death" especially on older "fat" models. They're caused by a number of factors, namely but not limited to shoddy solder, capacitor issues or dying chips amongst other things. And the only reason why Sony wasn't scapegoated as much compared to Microsoft was the reported number of cases--10% of [=PS3=]s end up with a YLOD whilst nearly a ''quarter'' of the Xbox 360 user base had experienced the RROD in some form according to one source.

* Another early example was the Sinclair [=ZX80=], which in addition to an (allegedly) barely usable keyboard had the design flaw of not being able to display anything whilst a key was being pressed (making it unsuitable for anything like games), as well as the available display area shrinking the more memory was used. Like its younger and more famous brother the [=ZX81=], which had some of these design flaws fixed, it also only had a measly 1K of RAM (which could be expanded with a RAM pack that was often held in place with blu-tac) and monochrome display (even the Commodore VIC-20 had more than this). Nevertheless these trade-offs made it the first home computer in the UK available for under £100, ended up selling some 100,000 units and proving mass-market home computing was possible, leading to the phenomenally successful [=ZX81=] and UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum.

* The Barbie and Hot Wheels computers made by Patriot Computers under licence from Mattel in 1999 were doomed to fail from the get-go. Sure, it banked on Toys/{{Barbie}} and Toys/HotWheels, both being iconic toy franchises, but not only were industry analysts sceptical on Patriot's reliance on [[PinkProductPloy gender stereotypes]], the computers--which were little more than very-low end small form factor [=PCs=] with gaudy, infantile designs painted on them--had a high rate of failure especially with their power supplies which used a rather uncommon form factor. Such was the failure rate that Patriot's support lines were flooded by upset parents whose children's [=PCs=] died as a result of faulty hardware, and Patriot spent so much time and effort with addressing these issues--alongside the fact that they still took orders--that the company went bankrupt as a result with 3,100 PC orders remaining undelivered. Mattel had to placate those whose orders were unfulfilled with a “free gift package” containing a $100 toy and gift certificate voucher.

* As smartphones were technically portable computers, those smartphones which could blow up due to various reasons from overheating to poor power management count, but Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 takes the cake with how hyped, how pricey, and how good performance and feature wise it was. Except the power regulations were poor and the battery quality was also poor, leading to the phone catching fire or popping up into a bar of hot metal in the most unfortunate situations. The backlash was tremendous, the phone quickly became a contraband, and Samsung ''even updated the phone to drastically lower the performance, even stopping charging above 15%!''

* In ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'', May's '''body''' is an Alleged Computer. It is literally falling apart, as shown [[https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3168 here]],[[https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4096 here]] and [[https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4307 here]]. The problem reaches its culmination [[https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4348 here]] as her body's head falls off and the body catches fire--fortunately just '''after''' she's been put into a new and much better body.

-->-- ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' sbemail [[Recap/StrongBadEmailE33Gimmicks "gimmicks"]]

* The Barbie and Hot Wheels computers made by Patriot Computers under licence from Mattel in 1999 were doomed to fail from the get-go. Sure, it banked on Toys/{{Barbie}} and Toys/HotWheels, both being iconic toy franchises, but not only were industry analysts sceptical on Patriot's reliance on [[PinkProductPloy gender stereotypes]], the computers--which were little more than very-low end small form factor PCs with gaudy, infantile designs painted on them--had a high rate of failure especially with their power supplies which used a rather uncommon form factor. Such was the failure rate that Patriot's support lines were flooded by upset parents whose children's PCs died as a result of faulty hardware, and Patriot spent so much time and effort with addressing these issues--alongside the fact that they still took orders--that the company went bankrupt as a result with 3,100 PC orders remaining undelivered. Mattel had to placate those whose orders were unfulfilled with a “free gift package” containing a $100 toy and gift certificate voucher.

* In ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'', May's '''body''' is an Alleged Computer. It is literally falling apart, as shown [[https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3168 here]] and [[https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4096 here]]. The problem reaches its culmination [[https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4348 here]] as her body's head falls off and the body catches fire--fortunately just '''after''' she's been put into a new and much better body.

[[caption-width-right:350:Yes, that's a hole right there in the middle of the screen. ''And Strong Bad still uses it.'']]

* WebVideo/JonTron has a computer that shorts out when lightly doused with (his) blood in his first ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ci2hj7CSHI Flex Tape video]]''

* Another early example was the Sinclair [=ZX80=], which in addition to an (allegedly) barely usable keyboard had the design flaw of not being able to display anything whilst a key was being pressed (making it unsuitable for anything like games), as well as the available display area shrinking the more memory was used. Like its younger and more famous brother the [=ZX81=], which had some of these design flaws fixed, it also only had a measly 1K of RAM and monochrome display (even the Commodore VIC-20 had more than this). Nevertheless these trade-offs made it the first home computer in the UK available for under £100, ended up selling some 100,000 units and proving mass-market home computing was possible, leading to the phenomenally successful [=ZX81=] and UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'': in the episode "Out of the Picture", the school computer Coach Pacowski has to use to edit the year book is horrendously slow.

** Averted when Timmy's dad made one himself [[RuleOfFunny and it works fine.]] [[DoomItYourself Unlike his other stuff.]] It's only drawback is that it needs someone to run on a threadmill to work.

* WebOriginal/JonTron has a computer that shorts out when lightly doused with (his) blood in his first ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ci2hj7CSHI Flex Tape video]]''

* PC World did [[https://www.pcworld.com/article/129857/article.html an article]] about the 25 worst [=PCs=] of all time, and most of the listed were badly compromised budget [=PCs=]. Number one was notable, though, for being an entire PC ''brand'' instead of just one PC. Packard Bell computers were sold in America from the mid eighties to 2000, and (despite the prestigious-sounding name) were in no way associated with Hewlett Packard, Bell Labs or the Bell System[[note]]their proprietors bought the name from the industrial conglomerate Teledyne in 1986; the original Packard Bell was a radio maker from the classic era--who themselves weren't related to HP or Bell--that had dabbled in [=TVs=] as well before Teledyne bought them in 1968 and shut them down in the early 1970s. The new Packard Bell thus believed they could say that [[ExactWords "America grew up listening to us"]]; AT&T, particularly its spinoff Pacific Telesis (who owned very similarly named Pac''ific'' Bell), were not amused and forced them to post a disclaimer with the tagline eventually[[/note]]. While their first machines were decent but nothing to speak of otherwise (many of them were rebadged Samsung machines), once they switched to their own manufacturing in Taiwan around 1990, they got a reputation for being cheap[[note]]some of their 486 machines had a similar issue to the PC Chips motherboards mentioned above, except instead of shipping with fake cache RAM, they just didn't bother putting ''any'' in[[/note]], unusually designed[[note]]while most brand-name [=PCs=] in the mid-1990s had issues with non-standard parts and weird case designs, the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1csOOMXANI Corner Computer]] from 1995 was probably the most JustForFun/{{egregious}} example of this[[/note]], and horridly unreliable [[note]]they had twice the average return rate (1 in 6, when their competitors averaged 1 in 12)[[/note]]. Despite all this, they were the best selling [=PCs=] through much of TheNineties, before losing a lawsuit to Compaq about undisclosed use of recycled parts (something everyone else did at the time as well, but disclosed in their warranty statements), resulting in them being bought out by NEC that year and pulled from American shores by 2000.

** Rule of thumb for vintage computing enthusiasts: If you find an old computer with a [=PC-Chips=] brand motherboard and a 486-class CPU, ''run away.'' It's not worth it, and there's a real chance the CPU cache chips on the motherboard are fakes meant to convey the appearance of a more capable motherboard. Other PC Chips boards are acceptable on a case-by-case basis; their 386 boards are solid, if bare-bones, while their Pentium-class boards used relabeled[[note]]or cloned, depending on who you ask[[/note]] versions of VIA, [=SiS=] and Acer chipsets that reportedly weren't as good as the real ones. They were also frequently branded as "VXpro", "TXpro" and "HXpro" despite not being Intel products, which caused confusion among users and techies alike when the Intel chipset drivers for Windows either failed to install or caused system crashes.

* The Coleco Adam: the list of "Problems" on its Wikipedia entry reads like a series of gags from a National Lampoon movie. Most notably, it generated an electromagnetic surge on startup that could wipe any tapes or disks left in or near it (and the manual ''recommended'' inserting them before booting up), and the whole thing ran off the power supply from its bundled printer. The one bright spot on the original machine was its keyboard, an early premium rubber-dome model made by parties unknown[[note]]probably Futaba or SMK; users have noted it feeling similar to Topre/Brother keyboards but it doesn't resemble them at all mechanically[/note]] in Japan.