Cubans line up to buy first legal PCs

Although Cubans have been able to get underground PCs for a while now, the Cuban government only recently lifted the official ban on them, and the first publicly-available machines just went on sale Friday. The state-approved QTECH PCs are only available at one store, where crowds formed to gawk at some pretty clunky tech -- the $780 towers feature Celeron processors, 512MB of RAM, Windows XP, and come with a CRT display. Not only that, but most Cubans won't even be allowed to have Internet access as only "trusted officials" and state journalists are allowed home net access. That's a pretty weak state of affairs, but it's not necessarily as dire as it seems: now that computers are legally available, some Cubans expect black market prices on up-to-date gear to come down. The managed economy in action -- anyone know if Cubans have unofficial ways of getting online as well?

[Via CNET]

[Dallas @ May 4th 2008 3:12PM]

I know this is dumb and a bit off topic, but with the blockade and all, the computers won't be able to run legal copies of Windows. Or have Intel or AMD chips for that matter. What do you guys think they will run as their OS?

[x Shadow @ May 4th 2008 9:02PM]

linux???

[bossmsx @ May 3rd 2008 5:02PM]

There are 'underground' ways to get online, but pricey and hard to get by....I forgot what someone (who recently arrived from Cuba) told me, but it was a steep price, and just for dialup.

And considering what the wages of an average Cuban are, well, forget it, basically.

[Mr.Tech @ May 3rd 2008 7:31PM]

Dial Up huh? At least they can still play StarCraft without any lag =D on b.net

[Flashpoint @ May 3rd 2008 8:02PM]

YAY

NOW THEY CAN PLAY CRYSIS !

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ May 4th 2008 1:59AM]

Flashpoint, are you kidding? Hell, even the Americans with their multimillion dollar supercomptuers cannot even play CRYSIS. What makes you think dial up and a Celeron with chipset graphics will accomplish that arduous task?

[Charlie Calhoun @ May 4th 2008 3:48AM]

@caps lock

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sarcasm

[A1 @ May 6th 2008 4:43AM]

>@Charlie

>http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sarcasm

[maff @ May 3rd 2008 5:08PM]

that woman is like 'sheeeeeet, where's the ethernet?'

[The Dude @ May 3rd 2008 9:37PM]

More like, "Goddamn this rig's got junk in da trunk."

[Nick @ May 3rd 2008 5:09PM]

"The managed economy in action"
Please don't make sweeping generalizations.
This is a managed economy controlled by a totalitarian government.

It isn't representative of every managed economy.

[The Engineering Student @ May 3rd 2008 5:17PM]

You uh... you shouldn't be a socialist mmkay? Cause, eh, socialism's bad, mmkay? Mmkay...

[Nikonov @ May 3rd 2008 5:57PM]

Queue uninformed retards voting this down because they don't understand socialism or communism and often mistake totalitarianism for them.

[ethana2 @ May 3rd 2008 6:02PM]

Thank you.

If it's not opt-in, it's not socialism. Totalitarianism is different, and the losers who run nations like that are just using socialism as a buzz-word.

[Chad @ May 3rd 2008 6:11PM]

@Nikonov Um, Communism IS totalitarian, full stop. It's one of the cornerstones of a Communist country. Socialism CAN be totalitarian.

[LarryLarryLarry @ May 4th 2008 5:46AM]

In Cuba, you get two sacks of rice every Christmas!

One sack to use for a shirt, one sack to use for pants!

[Oliver @ May 3rd 2008 5:13PM]

My question is, know when they have the chance of choosing witch computer the oppressed inhabitants can buy, why do they choose old CRT monitors ?

Having in consideration that the shortage of power supply is one of the reasons they are moving so slow with unbanning electronic devices it is directly stupid to not release power efficient LCD instead for a slightly few more extra dollars. A dollar that is not wort a shit outside US territory. You know who to blame.

[Tyler @ May 3rd 2008 5:46PM]

If the price of the state sanctioned computer did not tip you off already, things are not in sync with the rest of the free world in Cuba.

The difficulty with energy is not in the cost of production, it's in the stability. The power difference between a CRT and an LCD is minimal here, especially since the number of residents able to afford the offered computer is very slim. The difference would barely be a drop in the bucket.

Also, the dollar is worth exactly the same (basically) everywhere in the world. It is currently weak in comparison to other currencies, but it is still worth exactly one dollar.

But you're right on one count: I do know who to blame. I wholeheartedly blame the totalitarian government of Cuba, and the international community that continued to treat that government as legitimate. Good on you Raul, for every little step. Now let's work on the internet.

[theidoctor.org @ May 3rd 2008 5:12PM]

wow... that makes my computer look like its from outerspace! Maybe i could go there and trade mine for a house or missile or something

[BuddyBoy @ May 3rd 2008 6:14PM]

i Know look at the size of that thing... or perhaps the photography used a mad lense... I prefer to think that the cubans just have massive mad computers.

[velocitystrike @ May 3rd 2008 7:11PM]

Maybe the woman is a dwarf.

[Carl M @ May 3rd 2008 11:37PM]

I'd be happy if I could sell them a few of my old PCs for even 1/4 of the state price.

[GoodWill8675 @ May 4th 2008 9:16AM]

No, its still from here because they have that shitty Microsoft XP running on it.

[John @ May 3rd 2008 5:14PM]

How would this possibly lower black market prices for up to date gear? $780 for a tower with a Celeron?

[Aguiluz @ May 3rd 2008 5:30PM]

"$780 for a tower with a Celeron?"

I can say BS.

[Tyler @ May 3rd 2008 5:46PM]

It can, and will, lower prices because computer equipment is no longer inherently contraband. That makes it far easier to bring computer equipment across the border, and it provides a form of competition.

Cheaper will definitely not mean cheap, though.

[errrduh.... @ May 3rd 2008 5:22PM]

"That's a pretty weak state of affairs."

Well certainly better than before. A small step is still a step.

[Sachin @ May 3rd 2008 11:43PM]

Raul is definitely better than Fidel.



Please don't kill me, Cuban secret police.

[DiscoCat5 @ May 3rd 2008 10:49PM]

a journey of a thousand miles starts with just one step - confucius

[bob @ May 4th 2008 2:07AM]

Sachin:

The Cuban secret police don't have internet, so they won't kill you.

[pach @ May 3rd 2008 5:44PM]

They dont have internet because since almost 50 years Unites States of America is blocking their economy. it doesnt depend on cubans government, is about all USA block.
Venezuela is currently working on a suboceanic cable to connect cuba with venezuela so they can be able to have an affordable internet access.

[Alex Krautmann @ May 3rd 2008 10:41PM]

You are so fucking ignorant! Just a tool to the Castro Brothers regime. This talk is just what Raul uses as an excuse for his shitty economy.

[tagaiz @ May 3rd 2008 6:08PM]

How in the world is this the USAs fault? This is Cubas totalitarian governments fault that has been blocking any sort of technological advancement since Fidel came to power.

[Wwhat @ May 3rd 2008 6:49PM]

The US blockade, which is enforced also by pressure in that if other countries deal with cuba they get blacklisted, means that they didn't have the capabilities to power the technology, nor the capability to easily import.
Any failure of the cuban economy IS mainly caused by the US, although that doesn't mean it would not have failed on its own if it had gotten the chance.
On the other hand if you aren't capitalist can you ever speak of a 'failed' economy really?

[Professor Tom @ May 3rd 2008 8:13PM]

You might want to do a little research before you make such a claim.

The United States promised the Soviet Union that it would not invade Cuba or help anyone overthrow the government there in order to end the Cuban Missile Crisis. Technically, this is Russia's fault if you want to play the blame game.

[rafalski @ May 3rd 2008 8:31PM]

Cuban propaganda uses the US blockade brillantly, convincing not only their own people, but westerners that the US blockade hurt them.
I'd say, the blockade only hurts the US and protects Cuba from being flooded by Americans.
The blockade was initially multinational, but every country but the US dropped it decades ago. Nothing is stopping every other country from selling to Cuba. Actually, many western countries do trade with them. If you go to Cuba, you'll find there German and Spanish hotels, European food products (in stores which are too expensive for Cubans). European cars are a plenty, mostly French and quite a lot of Czech Skoda's (German VW owned).
It's nothing but the totalitarian system that is the cause of Cuban misery.

Just to clarify: I have been to Cuba in recent years and I speak Spanish. I have lived under East-European communism. I know what I am writing about first-hand.

[RandyFD @ May 3rd 2008 5:47PM]

Cubans have been stealing internet for a while now. I chat with my friends online from time to time, they use regular dial-up. I'm not sure where they get the numbers to connect but what I am sure of is that they don't pay anything for it, it would be impossible to afford it. Raul is just trying to squeeze as much juice as possible from the people, so he can get even more filthy rich. But what the hell, at least they'll be able to get free porn.

[Ayman @ May 3rd 2008 5:48PM]

Excellent
Now Cubans go to America and Smuggle good PCs
while American go to Cuba and Smuggle good Cigars

Thats you economy for you

[Ayman @ May 3rd 2008 5:51PM]

For some reason i feel like watching "Scare Face" but instead of drugs make them processor chips, RAM, HDD, LCD,...

[Glork @ May 3rd 2008 5:51PM]

It proves that communism == freedom & prosperity. Vote Hillary Clinton !

[RandyFD @ May 3rd 2008 5:53PM]

Dude I think you have some misconceptions in your reasoning, which I will be happy to explain.
Cubans don't have internet because the government does not want subversive material to get to the hands of the public, pure and simple. The "US Blockade" is just the excuse Fidel and his peeps have been using for the last gazillion years, don't let yourself be fooled, the only real blockade in Cuba is the blockade in your freedom and individuality.

[RandyFD @ May 3rd 2008 5:54PM]

Crap that was meant for pach, stupid reply button....

[Anacro Nism @ May 3rd 2008 6:03PM]

Who needs internet to "go online"!?

Good lord, for years and years I hooked my trusty CPM machine up to a modem and BBSed my way, "email", message boards, file transfers, and all!

[Wwhat @ May 3rd 2008 7:00PM]

If that's true then you know why you'd do anything to avoid that pain, the hassle, the slowness, the waiting, the phone bill.

[white_ultras @ May 4th 2008 5:56AM]

also there are no BBSs in operation today...

[ethana2 @ May 3rd 2008 6:05PM]

Microsoft isn't allowed to sell them things because it's a US company, correct?
*cough*
But then, we'll want their nation's IT riddled with as many back doors as possible naturally..

[ddub @ May 3rd 2008 6:20PM]

It says the computer comes with an Intel processor and Windows XP, both us companies.

[IndiaTech @ May 3rd 2008 7:47PM]

Doesn't matter. US individuals / companies are prohibited from selling stuff to Cuba, directly. But It doesn't mean other countries cannot resell them. So in all probability, the comp is Made in China, the processor and other ICs are Made in Tiawan / China / Japan and the software may be the Latin American OR EU version.

As far as I know, US companies are not prohibited from selling stuff to companies / countries even if they know that company / country is going to resell it to Cuba. IMHO.

[Dolemite @ May 3rd 2008 6:06PM]

First cell phones, and now computers? How can people of the Socialist Paradise fight the evil capitalist American pig-dogs when they are allowed to become slaves to the evil American capitalism derived technology?

What's next? Holy Warriors who hate the West using Western technology to attack the West? The sheer hypocrisy of it all!

[Wwhat @ May 3rd 2008 6:56PM]

Yeah it's a sad thing how a brother of fidel is the undoing of cuba, if you want to drop communism then at least pick something else than freaking capitalism.