ALL: PII onslaught continues. PII-300 systems now under $2K. PII-233 just a few hundred dollars more than CPQ-AMD-233 system. I'm betting customers will pick the latest and greatest PII!
joey
Pentium II PCs coming
cheap
By Kurt Oeler
January 6, 1998, 5:10 p.m. PT
Packard Bell NEC introduced five low-priced,
high-speed models targeting the so-called SOHO
(small office/home) market, including a 266-MHz
Pentium II system for $1,899.
The Sacramento, California-based manufacturer
reemphasized its traditional focus on the
value-oriented consumer, particularly with the
introduction of its Platinum 4500. The high-speed
Intel-based machine comes with 64MB of memory,
a 6.4GB hard drive, a CD-ROM drive, a 56-kbps
modem, and software for home users, such as the
Quicken personal finance program and Microsoft's
Word.
The announcement adds to a fast-growing list of
systems with Pentium II chips running at 266 and
300 MHz being offered below the $2,000 price
point. Compaq, Gateway, and others also offer
models at or below this price, evidence of the fact
that Intel has been forced to discount the price of
its top-of-the-line processor much sooner than
normal.
For the burgeoning sub-$1,000 market, Packard
Bell introduced the R515, with a 200-MHz
Pentium MMX processor, 32MB of memory, and
bundled software for $999. This time last year, the
offering would have been exceptional, but during
the course of 1997 Compaq exploited the low-cost
segment to boost sales, forcing rivals Packard Bell,
IBM, and Hewlett-Packard as well as lesser PC
manufacturers to chime in.
According to one survey, Packard Bell inched
ahead of Compaq in U.S. retail computer sales for
October, but most industry analysts continue to
show the Houston manufacturer leading the
sub-$1,000 market. Unlike Compaq, IBM, and
HP, Packard Bell principally sells to the low end of
the PC industry, through retail outlets such as
CompUSA.
Separately, NEC Computer, the North American
arm of Japan's NEC Corporation, which owns a
49 percent stake in Packard Bell NEC, announced
four Pentium II systems priced below $2,000.
The 9870 model, with a top-of-the-line 300-MHz
processor, 64MB of memory, a 6.4GB hard drive,
a CD-ROM drive, and a 56-kbps modem, will
retail for an estimated $1,999. The 9840, similarly
configured except for its 233-MHz Pentium II chip,
will go for $1,299. |
