Computer manufacturers often distributed buggy, pointless, or redundant third-party software (“bloatware” or “crapware”) to help subsidize the cost of the hardware.

To make more profit for the manufacturer, I think you mean. Until the cryptocurrency scammers came along and started stripping store shelves bare, you could build a computer from parts, it’d be cheaper than buying a pre-built computer, and it would be free of crapware.