Michael Dell-The Hustler! How long ago did I tell you what I wanted in a laptop?
Dell hustling toward wireless Internet
access
By Joe Wilcox
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
June 28, 2000, 8:20 a.m. PT
pc expo NEW YORK--Michael Dell sees wireless Internet access as
the future of portable computing--and maybe of all personal
computing.
At a Dell Computer reception here last night, the boyish-looking CEO told CNET News.com
that wireless broadband likely will displace its landline counterparts, such as cable and digital
subscriber lines (DSL).
"This is one reason Dell is embracing existing wireless
technologies like (IEEE) 802.11 and putting wireless antennas in
Latitude notebooks," Dell said.
So serious is Dell about wireless that on Monday he created a new
wireless group that reports directly to him. Moe Grzelakowski, a
former Motorola executive, is heading it.
Dell Computer isn't the only PC manufacturer looking at wireless.
Compaq Computer and IBM are also investing heavily in wireless
technologies. But for Dell, which increasingly must look for ways to
generate revenue beyond the box, differentiators like wireless mean
new revenue streams vital to the company's future.
The idea of wireless Internet access is nothing new. Carriers and
PC makers have cut deal after deal to ensure that cell phones and
handheld devices can connect over existing wireless infrastructure
to corporate networks and the Internet.
But with the wireless speeds topping out at 14.4 kbps in most areas, performance is
inadequate for most portable users. Dell believes broadband wireless access may be the
answer for portable users, as well as for consumers and small businesses craving high-speed
Internet access.
Broadband wireless providers such as Metricom are ramping up speeds to 128 kbps. In July,
Metricom will launch 128-kbps wireless services in Atlanta and San Diego in advance of a
21-market launch later this summer.
While Dell wouldn't disclose his company's partners in the wireless venture, he said the PC
maker is testing broadband wireless at its headquarters in Round Rock,
Texas.
"Once you've used it, you don't want anything else," Dell said. "With
broadband wireless, a notebook is truly portable."
Dell's interest in wireless broadband transcends its value to portables and extends to obstacles
to growth faced by cable and DSL services. In the case of cable, most companies must
replace existing wires with fiber. For DSL, limitations inherent in copper wiring mean homes
must be fairly close to a telco's switching office. And there are many places the service will
never reach.
These infrastructure limitations mean only 13 of every 100 homes will have DSL by 2003,
according to research company International Data Corp.
At the same time, demand for wireless access to corporate networks and the Internet is
booming and creating more interest in wireless broadband, Dell said. He predicted broadband
wireless would be able to reach many areas cut off from cable and DSL services.
The number of wireless-device users with inbound and outbound data and information will reach
61.5 million in 2003, up from 7.4 million last year, an increase of more than 700 percent,
according IDC.
In addition to addressing wireless broadband's future, Dell discussed Transmeta's Crusoe
processor, a hot item at this year's show. With Fujitsu, Hitachi, IBM and NEC backing
Transmeta's low-voltage alternative to Intel's Mobile Pentium chips, Dell had to make his
company's intentions clear.
"We are definitely looking very, very closely at the Transmeta processor," Dell said. While he
wouldn't comment specifically on future product plans, Dell said the chip's lower power
consumption is a compelling feature.
But, he cautioned, "It relies on emulation (to run Windows programs), and until now emulation
hasn't delivered the required performance." |
