IBM unveils new PC line
Sleek black design of NetVista appliances
counters stodgy image of Big Blue
March 13, 2000: 6:44 p.m. ET
NEW YORK (CNNfn) - IBM unveiled a new line of personal computers and Internet appliances
that are designed to be small, sleek looking, and provide easy access to the Internet.
The Armonk, New York-based computing giant is betting on this next generation of PCs and
Internet appliances, which it calls the NetVista line, to revive the company's PC sales, a
business where IBM has lost money and lagged behind more nimble competitors, such as Dell
Computer.
IBM (IBM: Research, Estimates) is investing more than $100 million in marketing and
advertising campaigns to support NetVista. Because IBM suffered chronic losses when it sold
PCs through retailers, the NetVista line will be sold directly through IBM and its business
partners.
"Their desktop business has been sagging, especially in the fourth quarter of last year," said
Anne Bui, an analyst at International Data Corp. "The NetVista lines looks promising in bringing
up their hardware revenue. The NetVista design is aimed at eliminating IBM's stodgy image."
IBM is taking advantage of its relationships with business customers to market NetVista
products. Part of the NetVista line consists of Internet access devices that companies will
distribute to their customers. Those companies then will be able to provide their customers
with customized, branded content and services delivered through the IBM device. For example,
mutual fund giant Fidelity Investments will deliver customized content to its customers through
a NetVista Internet appliance.
IBM's new NetVista line will complement its Aptiva PCs, which are aimed at consumers, and
its PC 300 line of commercial desktops. Big Blue is following the lead of Apple Computer by
focusing on the external appearance of its machines and making Internet access simple.
Apple scored a huge hit with consumers a year ago when it introduced its stylish iMac. The
iMac, which comes in colors such as strawberry, tangerine, and lime, now sells about 700,000
units per quarter.
IBM's NetVista line was designed by Richard Sapper, an industrial designer whose work
appears in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. NetVista machines have matte-black
designs, flat-panel screens, and appear to have just a screen and a keyboard, with no central
processing unit. The central processing unit and CD-ROM drive in NetVista PCs is hidden
behind the flat panel monitor.
"NetVista devices are easier to use, slimmer, and will give our customers faster access to
the Internet, enhanced connectivity and deadbolt security," said David Thomas, senior vice
president, IBM Personal Systems.
The NetVista machines, which will be available in April, run on Intel Corp.'s Celeron and
Pentium III processors. NetVista is subdivided into four product lines: the All-in-One, the
Legacy-Free, the Thin Client, and the Internet Appliance. IBM has not yet announced pricing for
the new machines, but the All-in-One is expected to sell for less than $2,000, the Legacy-Free
for less than $1,000, and the Thin Client for less than $1,900.
NetVista All-in-One
The All-in-One PC is 75 percent smaller than the typical home or office PC, measuring 16
inches by 16 inches by 10 inches. It has a wireless LAN option, which means it can be
attached to a local network without cables. The All-in-One also has an embedded security chip
that makes it harder to "hack" into from outside a network. IBM says it is the only company to
offer an embedded security chip on its PCs.
The Legacy-Free is a stripped-down PC with a vertical, space-saving design. It includes a
docking cradle for synchronization with IBM's WorkPad handheld device. Future versions of
the Legacy-Free may be able to dock with a Palm Pilot, the most popular type of handheld
computing device, IBM said.
The NetVista Zero Footprint Thin Client is a network access device with limited amounts of
processing power. It is targeted for bank tellers, airline check-in staff, customer service
representatives, and others who do repetitive data access tasks on a network.
Companies in data-intensive industries, such as finance and health care, are expected to
offer the NetVista Internet Appliance to their customers as an Internet-access device. It can be
customized with vendor branding, on-screen branding, and Web-site links. |
