IBM Offers Free MP3 Player With Used PC Purchase

IBM may no longer be making personal computers, but it's still selling them.

The company is clearing out stock of some older, refurbished models of its desktops and laptops, and is throwing in a free MP3 player.

Buyers who order a certified, used PC from IBM's Web site will receive at no extra charge a SanDisk Sansa 1.0-Gbyte MP3 player that can hold up to 16 hours of music. IBM says the offer is good while supplies last.

Even without the free music player, IBM's roster of used systems includes some real bargains. For instance, an IBM ThinkCenter PC with a 2.8-GHz Intel processor and Windows XP is selling for just $239. A similar model with a 3.0-GHz chip sells for $265.

For those in the market for a cheap laptop, IBM is offering, among others, a "slightly blemished" T30 ThinkPad with a 2-GHz Pentium 4 processor and XP for $435.

IBM says its certified used systems are fully tested and come with a three-month warranty.

The company stopped manufacturing PCs and laptops in 2005 after it sold the business to China's Lenovo Group for $1.25 billion. Apparently, however, it's got some leftovers. IBM says many of the used systems it sells are from excess inventory or from expired corporate leases.

Some are also Lenovo systems that IBM refurbishes through an arrangement with the Chinese company.

IBM also is offering a range of used servers, storage, and networking equipment. All sales are handled through IBM Global Financing.