Victor -
Don't get confused - the iPaq is a real PC, identical functionally to the DELL dimension in processor, memory, software operation... the difference is in the elimination of the "legacy" hardware and the cost that goes with it. These will be counted as commercial desktop PC sales.
There is an important additional benefit for corporate users. The ISA hardware does not have enough information to be identified by "plug and play" software or auto-configure programs, so every time anything changes, the user has to sort out what is really going on in his machine - what interrupts and ports are in use, etc. Even when you don't have the old cards, simply having the hardware can confuse the newer hardware and result in incorrect settings, or settings that get changed on the fly. So machines that support the older standard are less reliable and harder to set up and maintain, no matter how well built they are.
DELL's "Webster" design is scheduled to hit the market sometime in first quarter, although no actual date has been announced. The "Webster" is not a commercial design, it is aimed at consumers - a direct shot at the iMac space. Because of that, it would require additional work to be a good fit for the commercial space.
It is interesting to me that CPQ's new style is the opposite of Hype - there was no hint of this product until a day or two before the announcement, and on the day of the announcement it was available for sale on the company's web site. This says to me that the company is tightly focused on developing a reputation for credibility, perhaps even going too far in that direction (as with the "no guidance" policy). It seems that their intent is that when the company says something, customers and the street can expect it to be real, solid, and well thought out. |
