A little over a week ago I received my Zonbu Notebook. Since reviewing their tiny, silent desktop replacement computer I’ve been interested in Zonbu and their business model. Could they really pull of the subscription model with inexpensive computers?

I’ve long held that in the next ten to fifteen years the majority of computers will be inexpensive blocks handed out to anyone who wants one in exchange for subscribing to some sort of service – be it connectivity, online storage or even gaming.
Sure there will be folks who continue to push hardware and software limits on custom or quasi-custom machines built for specific purposes, like squeezing the last extra frame rate out of Doom 6. For the majority of computer users however, access to the web, email and available online services is the real draw.

The Zonbu Notebook offers just that at a fairly cheap price. $279 (if you sign up for a 2 year plan, $479 with a month-to-month plan) for a notebook is nothing to scoff at. While the specs won’t blow you away it’s still not a bad laptop.

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