I don't we're in Nebraska any more, Toto!!!:
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'Vista' PC: Compaq's brave new world
Abandoning 'abominations' like the ISA bus, Compaq's new 'Vista' PC sets a course for the promised land of legacy-free PCs. Can it do an iMac?
By John G. Spooner, ZDNet News
November 2, 1999 5:51 PM PT
Compaq Computer Corp. is set to clean the slate next week -- introducing a new legacy-free PC for corporate customers...
Compaq's new PC, to be unveiled in a New York event hosted by company president Michael Capellas, will present a new design and marketing philosophy from the company. ...
The PC, which is code-named Vista, will run various versions of Windows, including Windows 2000 when it is available, and offer the latest Intel Pentium III chips, announced earlier in the month. It will, however, also unburden users of legacy hardware. A completely legacy-free model, and lacking ISA and other technology such as PS/2 ports, will be announced at the event. At the same time, a model that offers limited support for older technologies such as ISA will also be announced. USB will be the primary method of attaching peripherals such as keyboards and a mouse, sources said.
Industry observers were critical of the approach of using the Internet as a selling point for the new PC, as large corporations generally have their own Internet access already installed. It would make more sense for a consumer or small business-oriented PC, they said, to offer Internet access. For corporations, strategy of partnering with entities such as application service providers to offer additional services to go with the new PCs makes more sense, the observers said.
Pricing on the new PC is expected to be competitive with, if not lower than, regular desktops. Compaq may also offer customers the ability to subsidize the cost of the PC with Internet access. Further details on the pricing scheme and projected ship dates for the new PC will likely be made public at the New York event. Compaq will also show off the new PC at this month's Comdex/Fall in Las Vegas. It is unclear if the company's consumer division will have access to this design or market ...
zdnet.com
Wouldn't it be just neat if this turned out to be the Stock Price's "killer app"??
Duke |
