Why don't you list certified model numbers (SKUs)?
- Keywords:
- model sku certified
- Last updated by:
- Jeff Lane
Q: Saying "Acer Aspire One" is certified, this is a meaningless statement if you don't qualify the model. I have a 725-0826 and it doesn't have the same hardware that is stated on the page, mine is a AMD C-70.
A: The reason we do not specify specific model numbers (what you are actuall calling Model, is known as the SKU, or Stock-Keeping Unit) is because they are not always useful to consumers when buying a system, whereas a specific list of components IS.
Some companies do refer to systems by SKU on their websites, but not in stores, often. In stores you are more likely to see a more "Human Readable" identifier like "Acer Aspire One XX" and "Acer Aspire One YY".
The truth is, it's a judgement call. In many cases, you can not buy the system by SKU. Take Lenovo, for example, which could potentially have 30 SKUs per model, depending on specific hardware configuration chosen at order time. As most all systems are customizable, the SKU difference could be simply relate to an OS choice.
Could you confirm for sure that 725-086 and 725-088, for example, are really any different hardware-wise, or does the different SKU simply reflect that one comes pre-loaded with Ubuntu while the other comes pre-loaded with Windows.
Finally, it is entirely possible to have the exact same SKU with a different bit of hardware.
For example, an OEM starts with a system (SKU ABC123) that has an nVidia Quadra 4000 but half way through production, nVidia starts shipping the Quadra 4000 with a completely different GPU onboard. The OEM is still selling the SKU with a Quadra 4000, but the early ones are now different than the later ones, which may not work if the new GPU is not supported by the nVidia drivers.
So to summarize, we don't advertize specific SKUs because:
1: In many cases, SKUs are not useful to consumers
2: In many cases, SKUs represent far more than just hardware configuration changes
3: SKUs may remain the same even if the hardware changes enough to make the system not work
