Compute plans
You pay for the computing, and only the parts you use.
Bolt borrows its computing power from a data center, and a monthly plan is what pays for it. Every Bolt needs one, because without the data center there is nothing to run.
There are no tiers. Four things are set separately, each from 1 to 4: processing power, memory, bandwidth and cloud storage. A child doing homework and a person editing video want very different machines, and neither should be paying for the other one's needs.
You choose when you first switch the laptop on, not when you reserve it, and you can change any dial any month. Nothing is billed while a Bolt is on its way to you.
Build a plan
Build the plan you actually need.
Four things, each set from 1 to 4, and a price that is the sum of them. Somebody who needs a lot of processing and almost no streaming should not be paying for a package built around video, so nothing here is bundled.
How much of the data center works on what you are doing. This is the one that decides whether a heavy page, a big spreadsheet or a video export feels instant or feels like waiting.
How much you can have open before anything has to be put away. On a Bolt this is not fixed at purchase, so a heavy month can have more than a quiet one.
How much video and audio can travel to your screen, and how sharp it is when it arrives. This is the one streaming uses, and it is the only part that costs us money every time you use it.
Bolt Cloud Storage, which is separate from whatever you already use. Your files can stay in Drive, iCloud or Dropbox and cost you nothing here.
These prices are what we expect to charge and are not final. We will publish the settled numbers before anything ships, and the builder above will show them. A plan is chosen when the laptop is first switched on, not when you reserve one, and nothing is billed before then.
Questions
Questions about the plans
The idea
Do I have to pay monthly to use my Bolt?
Yes. A compute plan is what pays for the data center that does the work, and a Bolt cannot run without one.
That is the trade. You are not buying years of processing power up front and watching it age; you are paying for the power you are using while you use it, and it gets faster over time rather than slower.
Can I start and stop them whenever I like?
Yes. Every dial can move up or down any month.
A heavy month can have more processing and a quiet one can have less. That is the point of the computing not being inside the case.
How much Bolt Cloud Storage do I get?
Cloud storage is one of the four dials, so you decide. Level 1 is enough to move files between the services you already use and costs nothing on top of the base.
Your files can stay in Drive, iCloud, Dropbox or whatever you use now. Bolt Cloud Storage is there if you want it rather than somewhere you have to move to.
What if I need more storage but nothing else?
Turn the storage dial up and leave the other three where they are. That is what separate dials are for: nobody is pushed into paying for processing power to get room for photos.
When do I choose a plan, and when does billing start?
During setup, the first time you switch the laptop on. It is one of the steps alongside your network, your account and your Quick PIN.
Billing starts then, and you can change plan any month afterwards.
What happens if I stop paying?
Your Bolt stops computing until you start a plan again. The laptop stays yours; what lapses is the service that makes it work.
If you were using more cloud storage than your plan covers, we will warn you before anything is removed and give you time to move files out.
Connection
Where are my files stored?
In your cloud account, in a folder called My Files, exactly as on any other computer. Download a file from the web and it appears there. Upload a file to a website and your normal file picker opens. Documents and Pictures work the same way.
The intent is that you should not have to think about whether a file is local or remote.
About Bolt
Are these final specifications?
No. Every specification on this site is a goal for a design that has not been built yet, and the cloud computing figures are planned rather than measured. Both may change.
Product images are illustrative renders, not photographs of a finished product. We would rather say that plainly than have you find out by comparing them to the real thing.
Anything we have not settled yet is marked to be announced rather than guessed at. If your question is not here, write to us and we will answer it honestly, including when the answer is we don't know yet.
Coming soon
Stay informed.
Bolt is in development. Leave an address and we will tell you when there is something real to see.
We will not sell your address or pass it to anybody, and will not send you anything except news about Bolt.