Could really use your opinion | Hacker News Reader

Could really use your opinion

7 pointssaphirelivyy16 comments

My sister and I are launching our MacBook rental service, Livyy, in Atlanta, GA this November.

We're currently in the process of some lovely, from-scratch market research and would really enjoy hearing your thoughts.

Doesn't matter where you're from. Livyy will reside in ATL, however, we'll ship MacBooks across the US to customers.

We've set up a Typeform at: https://livyy.typeform.com/to/SPJpeJ

If you have just two minutes to spare, check it out and give us your feedback. As incentives make the world go 'round :), we are choosing one person to try out our service for free, just for chatting with us for a bit.

Thanks guys.

View on HN

I am in the UK so probably not your target market, sounds like a good idea, I assuem there is a market for people who may temporarily need a macbook for testing or something. Who do you see as your market? Also whats ort of costs are you looking at? I cant imagine most people only needing a macbook for a week, and renting one out for 3 or 4 months must get you close to purchase price or a second hand model. Does it come with support for people who have not used a mac before? Do you see it as a try before you buy? How do you ensure secuirty of data, i assume you advise customers to undertake a hard reset before returning the product to you?

celticninja,

Thanks a bunch for the feedback.

We consider business professionals, freelancers and college students our target market.

However, Livyy is very much a convenience based business. Essentially, anyone could find themselves utilizing our service depending on their situation.

As for costs, inventory (MacBooks) and software would represent the bulk of our initial expenses. Followed by a POS system and furnishings for the space. Operating costs would be minimal including the lease amount of our space, insurance, any subscription-based software and marketing.

There is the possibility of offering support via an Apple expert, it isn't concrete just yet.

As opposed to making it the responsibility of the customer, we will perform a reset upon the return of each MacBook.

I can't imagine renting a computer that I'm going to be working on myself. I just wouldn't trust that it hadn't been tampered with or is recording my keystrokes, etc. I have multiple computers, so if I had to send one in for repair, I wouldn't really need a rental. I do work for a company that does electronic testing and we often rent computers for testing events. (Cisco Live, TechED, etc...) Our software only runs on Windows, so we don't need macs, however they do have those available as well. I could see people renting them in quantity for events, training, etc.. but I don't see where someone would rent one for personal use. Good luck with your venture. I tried your survey, but it kept getting stuck. The progress bar was all over the place too.

Why would I rent a Macbook? Or who is the target market?

What makes renting a Macbook more attractive than renting a Windows, Linux, or Android device?

What kind of rates need to be charged to cover the downtime involved in shipping a Macbook across the US, the cost of the shipping, and the difficulties if it is not returned in working order?

How can a business shipping MacBooks from ATL compete in Los Angeles with a business located at LAX?

How many renters of MacBooks are currently in ATL today?

What problem does this solve and who has it?

Hi brudgers,

Livyy was predominantly conceptualized for business professionals, freelancers and students. However, as stated before, we are a convenience based business and anyone could find themselves utilizing our service depending on their situation.

Apple offers a well-known, simple product line-up. More than half of our survey participants stated they own a MacBook. Out of the ones who don't, 46% said they found themselves in need of one during this year. The best part? 87% voted they would have rented one during those times.

Shipping to LA would be around $36. The issue of a MacBook not being returned in working order would be handled at that time and is a procedure thoroughly spelled out in our Rental Agreement.

It all depends. Until Livyy has a physical presence in LA, we may not be able to. However, for a person looking to rent sans credit check and a hefty deposit, we would be the 2,100-mile-away better option for them.

This is a fairly fresh concept. None of our survey participants have rented a MacBook before. However, there are thousands of business professionals, freelancers and students in Atlanta that could be presented with the need to rent one. All we have to do is be available to them.

Again, no other company offers access to a MacBook (or any other laptop computer) as fast and simply as Livyy would. If such a service exists in your area, the process is most likely lengthy and costly. Anyone with a MacBook can experience the problem of being without it.

Good luck.

I think this is a very interesting service because I usually buy laptops, but I only actually use it as a laptop 10 days a year while traveling. If the cost on the order of $10-20/day I would consider buying an iMac, and renting the laptop for conferences.

No mention of what software will be included. I consider MS Office to be mandatory, but that is probably it for a short term loan.

About the survey:

"Go Again"? Do I get entered multiple times if I fill out the survey again?

I am also not sure I agree that more cats is better.

chrisBob,

The convenience of renting for business needs is one of the many reasons why we wanted to start Livyy. We think it would be great for people like you.

The idea (or hope) for the Go Again button was for people to share the survey with someone near them. However, we've found a better solution for this. Thanks! Only one entry will count. :)

We aren't secret cat worshipers, we just liked cats over stars or thumbs. Too mainstream, you know?

HNer's are probably not the target demographic for MacBook rentals, mostly folks who can either afford to buy or get a loaner in a pinch.

As a rental business benchmark--here's a good podcast interview by Scott Britton with Noah Lehmann, who started an exotic car rental operation> http://life-longlearner.com/noah-lehmann-haupt-interview/

We believe a service like Livyy could still be of value to the type of people you speak of. :)

Can't thank you enough for that interview. Really great insight.

I tried to fill out the survey, but I left blank my frequent programs and my email address. Consequently I can't submit the rest of my answers. It may be beneficial to not require all answers for feedback to be submitted.

Also questions 1-3 make the progress meter jump all over. 50% after the first question, eventually down to 25% at question 4 where it steadily goes up and appears to work correctly.

Interesting idea but what is the purpose of having a laptop for one hour? if I know I need a laptop I will bring mine that's the point of a laptop. If I don't have a laptop I probably don't need one. Also probably you don't have most of the software I might need. I could see a use for long time rental but the overall price should not exceeed the price of a new one every couple of years.

The only way I could see an hourly service working is at a coffee shop, library, or airport. Airport service would be almost perfect if I just wanted to pick one up for a 1-2 day trip.

Agree. I would potentially rent a laptop at an airport.

Hey duiker101,

We can plan to perfection and there is always the possibility of something going wrong. No one plans to drop their MacBook, no one plans on it crashing, but these are things that can happen to anyone. What do you do? To our knowledge, there is no company that allows you to get your hands on a MacBook as fast and simply as Livyy would.

Your lowest price was $5 per hour, so that's what I selected on the survey, but frankly I was thinking this would be for weekly or monthly rental. I wouldn't pay per hour at all. Good luck with your service, but I don't think I'm your target.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com