When it comes to getting new customers ISP�s pull out all of the stops. Everyone has heard about the promotions where Earthlink gives away free Web Cams and where Comcast gives away free cable modems to new members, but I really doubt that anyone has heard about the promotion that offers a free Mac to users who sign up for Internet access.

Syracuse.net has taken customer acquisition to the extreme with their free Macintosh promotion. The promotion offers all new users who sign up for 12-months of Internet service a free Macintosh computer. The price for one-year of Syracuse.net unlimited Internet access is $189. The Mac�s that Syracuse are giving away are older refurbished systems. Refurbished computers are computers that have been restored to a condition that is nearly identical to a computer that came out of the factory. Sometimes refurbished computers can be more reliable than brand-new systems because they already have all of the �kinks� worked out of them. The computers that Syracuse ships aren�t nearly as fast as today�s newer Macintosh systems but I can honestly say that the systems that they offer are more than powerful enough for basic web browsing, e-mail and schoolwork.