re: volume/revenue impact
It's mostly a gut feeling, and it's pretty simple. What I see over and over is that our products, (and the IBM Network Station), is most easily accepted by customers who fundamentally want a 'Windows terminal'. While many are intrigued by the bigger picture of access to other systems besides Windows, over and over we find Windows access an absolutely critical requirement. For the net effect, I refer you only to past discussions by myself, Bob, and Rudy on the impact of the Citrix/Microsoft rumble this year. The reason I think that the WBT is important is that it is the break in the WinTel armor of "you have to buy a PC". Think about it. Until the WBT, Microsoft would *only* say "buy a PC" for everything. They are now saying, "Well, except sometimes its ok to buy one of these things." That has huge future impact. Also be aware that a WBT is fundamentally a very easy concept for users to grasp. No strange thoughts of complex networks, re-hacked frontends inside browsers, and no confusing Java stuff, (is it a language, is it a platform, is it proprietary?). Everything points to that magic word "I'll buy one".
The only scarey thing is me is not whether or not the WBT will sell, but how many? The forecasts are all over the map. |
