Peanuts to Profits With Thor Schrock
Peanuts to Profits With Thor Schrock

Thor Schrock was a guest on KMTV Channel 3’s morning show, the Morning Blend to talk about Schrock Innovations 2011 Ultimate Upgrade Sale.

The best part was when he spooked Mike DiGiacomo by just knowing he had a Commodore VIC-20 in his basement that he could trade in if he wanted to.

Take a look at the video. The sale is going on at Schrock Innovations through May 7, 2011.

Until 4/17/2011 (or as long as supplies last) Schrock Innovations has our Audible Alert surge protectors on sale for 50% off the regular retail price!

Normally these units sell for $60 each, but this week only you can get the peace of mind that an Audible Alert surge protector provides for only $34.99.

We only have 100 of these units arriving on Tuesday. These are very popular and difficult to find in large quantities.

There is no quantity limitation on how many you can buy at the sale price. We recommend getting as many as you need for your home or office, and then one extra to have in reserve.

Contact either of our Service Centers NOW to reserve your units while they last.

Take a Moment to Check Your Surge Protector

In Nebraska the average surge protector needs to be replaced once each year.

The trouble is that you can’t really tell if your surge protector is working for you or if it is worn out and working like a glorified extension cord.

Over time, a surge protector sacrifices its self to block surges. Once the surge protector has taken all of the damage it can handle, surges pass right through it as if it wasn’t even there.

Even if your surge protector has a “protected” light, it may simple be an LED that stays lit regardless of your surge protectors remaining capabilities.

What is an Audible Alert Surge Protector?

Audible Alert surge protectors (only available at Schrock Innovations) take the guess work out of protecting your valuable equipment.

When an Audible Alert surge protector can no longer protect your computer, flat screen TV, or other electronic device it begins chirping like a cricket.

You will know EXACTLY when it is time to buy a new surge protector because it will tell you.

Because you know with certainty when to replace your surge protector, you can use it for a longer period of time saving your money while you keep your equipment safe.

What Features Does the Audible Alert Surge Protector Have?

Aside from the Audible Alert warning technology, this surge protector has some other great features that set it apart from most older models:

* 10′ Shielded cord gives you the length you need
* Right Angle plug lies flat against the wall, allowing you to push furniture all the way back to the wall
* 1040 joules of protection ensure a long life
* 5 regular outlets and three spaced outlets to handle all of the devices you use
* Automatic grounding detection warns you if your outlet is not properly grounded

How Can I Tell if My Surge Protector is Worn Out?

If you don’t remember the last time you purchased a surge protector it is time replace it. Surge protectors cannot heal themselves.

Look for these tell-tale signs of a warn out surge protector when you examine yours:

* Dim, flickering or extinguished power light in switch
* No protected light whatsoever
* Metal bodies or components indicate the unit is over 25 years old
* Thick, heavy dust is a great indicator of “time in service”

Schrock Innovations‘ PC Maintenance Checkup Sale is by far one of the most popular times of the year to bring a computer into their computer repair Service Centers.

Over the past week Schrock’s technicians have been pulling overtime to keep up with demand.

As you can see, as soon as Schrock launched the sale computers started pouring in to the Service Centers.

By the end of the first day more than 100 computers had arrived for the $30 maintenance offer. Throughout the course of the sale Schrock took in over 1,000 systems for maintenance between Omaha and Lincoln, NE.

The load was unusually weighted toward desktop computers over laptops. Over the past couple years Schrock has seen a steady shift away from desktop computers toward notebooks.

The company has also been advertising on FM radio stations for the past 9 months which tends to bring in a younger demographic who prefer the portability of a notebook over a desktop. Either way, it was a little surprising to see the desktop hanging in there in the quantity department.

Schrock;’s customers oftn hear that the Maintenance Checkup Sale is going on for “one week only,” but in reality Schrock’s technicians have been working under a load of 100+ computers in queue for more than 3 weeks now.

When Schrock launches a sale this big, it is always a challenge to keep turn-around times reasonable the customer.

To help moderate the work flow, Schrock will email customers about the sale first, then work through the bulk of that response before taking it live on the radio.

Schrock emailed over 8,500 customers about the sale and the response was immediate and intense.

While a flood of Schrock’s existing customers was expected, we were all shocked to see that about 20% of the computers coming in after the email were new customers. Apparently the sale announcement email went viral with customers forwarding it to their friends and relatives.

All in all, Schrock’s technicians have been putting in 60-70 hours a week EACH in an attempt to keep up with the demand. With the sale ending today at 5 PM they should have everything back to normal again in each Service Center within a few days.

Thank you Schrock customers for another amazingly productive Maintenance Checkup Sale!

Today Schrock Innovations is changing out the 2010 Holiday Special computer commercial airing on ESPN 1480 and replacing it with a more feature-focused version.

The new commercial will begin airing November 29, 2010 and will air through Christmas Eve or until the 2010 Holiday Special is sold out.

Click here to download or play the new commercial.

This version is similar to the previous ESPN spot that aired throughout the month of November, but includes more specific information about what makes the computer so special.

Features like the 120 GB solid state hard drive, the 6-core processor, and its amazing 12 GB of DDR3 memory are specifically mentioned.

Schrock Innovations will be offering some amazing deals starting this Friday and going all weekend along through Sunday at both Schrock Innovations locations.

A couple days ago I was on KMTV Channel 3 in Omaha to talk about the great Black Friday Weekend deals at Schrock.

You can read all about the details and get the specifications on the computers in our Black Friday Weekend Event circular.

Some of the items on special include:

• Preventative Maintenance Checkups only $29.99 (regular price $70)
• Norton 360 Installed and Warrantied only $79.99 (regularly $150 – 25 per Service Center)
• Compaq notebook computers only $399 (3 available per Service Center)
• Ultimate Upgrade 2011 Special only $399 (10 available per Service Center)
• $100 off the 2010 Holiday Special Desktop PC (only 16 left per Service Center)
• Free $10 gift card for every $50 gift card you purchase

You can also purchase the discounted Maintenance Checkups or the discounted Norton 360 installation as a certificate. They make a great stocking stuffer and they all display the full retail price of the item. They are redeemable after Christmas 2010 and are an outstanding value!

You can purchase certificates by phone. Click here for the number of the Service Center nearest you.

What is the Ultimate Upgrade?

The Ultimate Upgrade is a special computer that we typically only offer once each year in the spring. With the Ultimate Upgrade you trade in your old, tired computer for a brand new Modular PC for only $399.

For the Black Friday sale we are offering the 2011 Ultimate Upgrade model, which is almost identical to our X3 model that retails at $799.

As you can see, it is an amazing deal that will not last long. There are only 10 available per Service Center.

We are allowing orders by phone on this item. Please understand that we will answer phones as quickly as we can, but we are expecting a massive response Friday morning.

You don’t trade in your old computer until your new one is ready, and no old parts are used in the construction of your new PC.

Excitement is building for the launch of our 2009 Holiday Special computer featuring Windows 7 and a solid state hard drive.

With the launch party coming up on Saturday the 17th in our Lincoln Service Center, our commercials promoting the new system started running this week on TV and radio.

The official specifications will be released soon on the Schrock Innovations website, but until then watch this commercial to get a sneak peek at the most advanced computer available in Nebraska this Holiday Season!

I had a little debate today with some of the staff about Schrock’s 2009 Holiday Special system.

We have always offered a complete system (CPU, monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers) for $1499 in past sales. We have offered a tower-only option for $200 less, dropping the price to $1299.

So here is the question…

Do we advertise the Holiday Special as a $1299.99 tower only system and then offer the monitor and accessories as separate items for purchase or do we assume that most people will want the accessories, market it at $1499 and then offer the take-away discount?

If you Were Buying a New PC Right Now

If you were in the process of buying a new PC right now would you want to replace your monitor and accessories for the $200 or would you fly with what you have?

We have been hard at work for the past few weeks designing the Schrock Innovations 2009 Holiday System, and the first prototype testing is underway.

This year’s Holiday Special will feature 2 new technologies that have never before been used in a Schrock build. The result is a new Modular PC that is faster (not seconds faster but STUNNINGLY faster) more reliable, and better prep[ared for tomorrow’s technology than ever before.

What is the Holiday Special?

Schrock’s Holiday Specials are always highly anticipated because the systems push the limits of technology at an unbelievable price. We offer a complete system (including monitor, wireless keyboard and mouse, and speakers) for only $1,499.

These systems are configured with amazing specifications. This is not the typical Dell up-sell routine, where you are lured in for $499 and end up spending way more than you planned.

These computers are configured to rock your PC experience with no modification required.

This year’s Holiday Special Modular PC is no exception. We are keeping the exact details close to the vest at the moment, but I can tell you it will be running Windows 7.

Faster than Anyone Expects

ONe of the big reasons we are so excited for the 2009 Holiday Special is because one of the new pieces of technology we are introducing will bring MASSIVE speed increases to the table that will be unavailable anywhere else in Nebraska (even by special order form Dell).

This new technology will unleash AMAZING speed that most computer users have only imagined. In our tests this technology has cut processes that used to take HOURS down to mere minutes.

We get excited whenever a system we produce can dramatically improve a PC users’ experience. To put it bluntly we have not a game-changing PC since we introduced Lincoln to Windows XP and LCD displays ion 2001. This system will be just as revolutionary.

Reliable Beyond Anything You Have Imagined

The 2009 Holiday Special is going to be faster than anything we have ever built before at Schrock, but it is also the most reliable system we have ever built.

This system runs COOLER (temperature wise) than any previous computer we have built, even though it sports a quad core processor. Because it runs cooler, it also uses LESS POWER than other quad core systems we have released in 2009.

Another new pieces of technology cuts the odds of a PC breakdown by an amazing 75%. This PC has more up-time, less lag time, ind its overall cost of ownership is dramatically lower over its expected 8-year lifespan.

Power for Today and Potential for Tomorrow

As always, this Schrock system is Modular. That means your computer has everything it needs to meet your demands today, and it can grow with you as your needs change in the future.

Schrock Innovations is the only company in the country that offers Modular computers, and that is why our Holiday Special systems last more than 8 years while other manufacturers are lucky to get three years out of their builds.

How Can You Learn More About This Computer?

Unfortunately, you will have to wait a little while longer before we let everything out of the bag. But there are some things you can do to make sure you catch the tidbits when we do let them out.

1. Subscribe to the RSS Feed on this blog. You’ll get an email as soon as we release anything.
2. Follow me on Twitter – I am prone to moments of weakness. If something slips, it will happen here
3. Get on Schrock Innovation’s mailing list – Contact Schrock and ask to be added. It’s free and rumor has it there is a coupon involved 🙂
4. Listen to Compute This every week. Chris Goforth has a way of getting me to talk

Microsoft announced a special Windows 7 pre-order program today that offers the company’s newest operating system at a DEEPLY discounted price. But is your computer ready for Windows 7?

There are two basic camps of people who will be upgrading to Windows 7 – Vista users and XP users (Windows 2000 users can also technically upgrade, but in many cases their hardware is so old that ot will be incompatible).

Testing Windows Vista PCs for an Upgrade to Windows 7

Vista users will have a pretty easy time upgrading to Windows 7. Microsoft is promising that everything that works with Vista will work with Windows 7.

When you run the upgrade disk, Windows 7 moves all of your documents, settings, registry, and programs to a holding directory. It then installs a clean copy of Windows 7 and copies all of your information back over. This eliminates many of the layered operating system problems that plagued XP and older upgrades.

In theory, everything should just work after the installation, but if you want that extra measure of comfort, you can run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to check for any issues.

Testing Windows XP PCs for an Upgrade to Windows 7

Windows XP users will have a bit of a tougher time upgrading.

It is HIGHLY recommended that you ru the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. There is a good chance that some of your hardware and/or software will not be compatible with Windows 7.

As a rule of thumb, if your software is not compatible with Vista, it will not be compatible with Windows 7.

With that said, the business and Ultimate versions of Windows 7 have a special feature that allows you to download and run a virtualized copy of Windows XP from within Windows 7.

Think of it like running Windows XP as if it was a program, and then opening up other programs from within it. This will allow business users who rely on older software (and lazier IT staffs) to still run many of their old XP programs in a limited form. There is no additional charge for the virtualized XP download.

Today is the last day to purchase an Ultimate Upgrade PC at Schrock Innovations and receive the free double your memory upgrade from 2 GB  to 4 GB! Be sure to stop into the service center to find out how the Ultimate Upgrade can take any old, tired PC and give it new life!  If […]