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Technology Stocks : Gateway (GTW) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: PeterR1700 who wrote (4440)	10/29/1997 11:06:00 AM
From: Karl Stearns	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 8002

It's what's in the box. Go to both web-sites and configure ANY two systems exactly the same. You will find that Gateway consistently comes out cheaper. Dell has been playing this game all along. They configure systems that LOOK ok, until you compare apples to apples (maybe that's a poor choice of words...VBG). Gateway has always put more guts in their systems for the money. For example: A top of the line G6 300 from Gateway will have less RAM, but a bigger monitor and hard drive. If you take the g2k system, and adjust it so it matches up (actually down) to the Dell specs, then price it, you find the price is $150 cheaper than Dell. Anyone who is moderately intelligent and knows how to comparison shop will discover the Gateway is always a better buy. This doesn't even address the fact that G2K always loads better software packages with their systems, too. And PLEASE--nobody start flaming me about G2K service. I paid the $99 for the upgraded support. I have a 3-year on-site service contract plus a dedicated 800 number to call. The few times I've needed to call, I got through just as if they were waiting for my call. And as usual, the problem was not a problem with their equipment, but a software related difficulty (which is the most common problem--and yet people blame the computer company for it!!). Gateway has positioned itself to go after the server market, which will also continue to help it's corporate sales. Government accounts, corporations and small businesses are more likely to continually upgrade product. The average home user may buy a system from someone else, but they do not upgrade as frequently. I'll bet anything that everybody who's buying the $900 systems from CPQ and Dell will at least give Gateway a look, and a good percentage of them will buy Gateway when they're ready to move up to a REAL system. I also think G2K may have been ahead of their time with the Destination system. However, I believe those efforts will pan out for them eventually as more and more people move into upgraded systems. The advancing technology in cable, dss, DVD, etc, etc, will make systems like the Destination a sought-after item in the future. Gateway will be way ahead of others in understanding and producing this technology. Gateway has spent enormous sums setting up state of the art manufacturing facilities and customer service centers. There is tremendous underlying value in this company. Who knows what the future will hold? Perhaps they will still be bought out by someone else. Or perhaps their efforts to position themselves in the marketplace will pay back big dividends in terms of sales and market shares. Whatever the case, I believe there is a lot going for this company and it's stock will return handsome profits for those who buy it and leave it alone.

To: PeterR1700 who wrote (4440)	10/29/1997 1:12:00 PM
From: Karl Stearns	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 8002

Another good reason to stay with G2K for the long haul: BusinessWire, Wednesday, October 29, 1997 at 12:26 NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 29, 1997-- HomePC magazine survey ranks Gateway No. 1 in overall staff attitude; recognition supports "You've got a friend in the business." slogan Gateway 2000, Inc. (NYSE:GTW), a global leader in the direct marketing of PCs, today announced that the company has been recognized for its service and support by HomePC magazine. According to results of HomePC's third annual Customer Support Survey, Gateway ranked as an industry leader in service and support. "Today, support is as important to our readers as the price of a new PC," said Ellen Pearlman, editor in chief of HomePC. In the November issue, the magazine reported "...(Gateway) has spent heavily to expand its ability to handle customer calls, opening a new call center, hiring more tech-support staffers, and introducing a computerized database that helps technicians zero in on problems and provide solutions much more quickly." "Gateway believes one of the most exciting things about this recognition is that each of these surveys was based on feedback from the publication's audience, a large pool of unbiased readers with varying degrees of experience and familiarity with PCs and Gateway," said Rob Cheng, senior vice president of Gateway Direct. "We've listened to our customers enough to know that they believe there is more to buying a PC than price alone," said Cheng. "With PCs like our $1,499 G5-166 and our $1,999 G6-233, we not only offer our customers fantastic complete configurations, but also award winning service and support." Gateway 2000 ranked first in two important categories: Total time to fix a problem and overall staff attitude. "These two rankings demonstrate our 'You've got a friend in the business'(R) slogan," said Eric Larsen vice president of global technical support. "Some customers will have issues with their PC. Our goal at Gateway is to address those problems in a timely manner, but also in a friendly manner." Gateway also recently received two prestigious awards from PC World Magazine. In the June 1997 issue, Gateway was awarded the magazine's Best/Best ranking in customer service and support policies. The magazine reported, "In the realm of customer service, the most improved company is Gateway 2000." In the July 1997 issue, Gateway received a World Class Award for Best Hardware support policies. In addition, Gateway has received recognition from Computer Shopper magazine in its annual Best Buy Awards for two consecutive years. Gateway service and support was ranked as Best Place to Buy for hardware in 1997, and Best Overall Service and Support, Hardware in 1996. "Gateway winning this award two years in a row translates into a lot of satisfied customers," said John Blackford, editor-in- chief of Computer Shopper. About Gateway Gateway (NYSE: GTW), a Fortune 500 company founded in 1985, is a leading global direct marketer of PC products. The company, headquartered in North Sioux City, South Dakota, has manufacturing facilities in the United States, Ireland and Malaysia and employs over 10,000 people worldwide. Gateway products and services consistently win top awards from leading industry publications. In 1996, the company shipped 1.9 million systems and reported revenues of $5 billion. Revenue for the first half of 1997 was $2.8 billion with net income of $124 million. For further information, visit Gateway at gateway.com. CONTACT: Kent Hollenbeck, 605-232-1654 holleken@gw2k.com or Jeff Hanson, 605-232-1217 hansojef@gw2k.com or Willow Christie-Smith, 605-232-1758 smithwil@gateway.com KEYWORD: SOUTH DAKOTA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMED COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS Today's News On The Net - Business Wire's full file on the Internet with Hyperlinks to your home page. URL: businesswire.com Copyright 1997, Business Wire