Also from todays WSJ. Looks like we'll have to deal with this "old" story all over again today.
Windows NT Workstations Outsell
Unix Machines for First Time Ever
By a WALL STREET JOURNAL Staff Reporter
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- Shipments of computer workstations using the
Windows NT operating system from Microsoft Corp. outsold those with the
Unix operating system for the first time last year, according to a report from
research outfit International Data Corp.
The company said that in 1997, 1.3 million workstations were sold
equipped with NT, compared with 660,000 units with Unix. In addition,
NT shipments increased more than 80%, compared with a 7% decline for
Unix.
The numbers are another indication of the increasing penetration of
Windows NT into areas that were once the sole domain of Unix. In 1996,
sales of the two types of machines had been essentially equal, said Tom
Copeland of International Data.
Workstations are high-powered desktop computers used by engineers,
designers and others; for years, these machines ran almost exclusively on
Unix. But with the advent of NT, as well as the introduction of more
powerful microprocessors from Intel Corp., Unix shipments have been
waning.
The International Data study said that in the NT market, Hewlett-Packard
Co. was in the top spot with 17.2% of workstation units, compared with
15.5% for Compaq Computer Corp. and 9.9% for Dell Computer Corp. All
three were growing at rapid rates.
Sun Microsystems Inc. dominated the Unix part of the market with 43% of
units, followed by 16% for H-P. Mr. Copeland said other Unix workstation
providers, such as Silicon Graphics Inc. and International Business Machines
Corp., were "faltering."
While NT workstations are outselling Unix machines, their average price of
roughly $5,000 is a third the average price of a Unix machine. For that
reason, the Unix portion of the market brought in more revenue than the
smaller NT sector, at $11.2 billion compared with $3.1 billion, said
International Data. |
