PeoplePC's biggest moment came when Ford and Delta Air Lines said they would give home computers to their employees through it. Many American households still did not own a computer. PeoplePC, founded in San Francisco in 1999, offered a new PC, internet service and support for one monthly payment, like a phone plan. The employer deals came in 2000. The company went public that August at $10 a share, after it lowered its expected price range.

The Price of Getting Online

PeoplePC bet that the cost of a computer was the main barrier to getting online. Spreading that cost into monthly payments would bring in new users. Corporate programs gave it a fast way to reach hundreds of thousands of households. It also sold through partners outside the United States. The model carried heavy hardware costs up front, and it relied on customers staying for years.

Absorbed by EarthLink

PeoplePC listed on Nasdaq as PEOP in August 2000. The stock dropped quickly as the market turned and losses grew. The company cut back the hardware offer and focused on low-cost internet access. In 2002 EarthLink acquired PeoplePC. The brand lived on for years as a budget internet service. The idea of a device paid for monthly came back later, in phone plans.

Cover: A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884, Georges Seurat. Art Institute of Chicago, public domain. Chosen for a crowd of people in a park.