Buckwheat - Re: " I've tried to find a 300 mhz Celeron on Pricewatch"
Here's some info on Cyrix-based PCs, AMD-based PCs and 300 MHz Celeron PCs from Compaq and Sony.
Paul
{============================}
Retail Looks For Killer Summer
by Mark Harrington & Roger C. Lanctot, Computer Retail Week
June 01, 1998 (12:28 P.M.)
techweb.com
Relief from a late-spring sales slump will come from a flock of Windows 98-equipped systems due in retail
stores in the coming two weeks, retailers hope.
Faced with the uncertainty created by Microsoft's legal troubles and a relative dearth of new systems,
retailers have been complaining for weeks that sales have slumped to sluggish levels.
"Sales are relatively soft," said Nathan Morton, CEO of Computer City, at last month's end.
Sales associates at CompUSA, Best Buy, and Circuit City stores all confirmed the slowdown, although
some said Memorial Day weekend was surprisingly strong.
Sales strength would be surprising, given the general inventory sell-down taking place among major retail
chains and top-tier brands that include Compaq Computer [CPQ], IBM [IBM] and Hewlett-Packard [HWP].
Packard Bell NEC became the first major brand to step into the breach when it began shipping its new
Cyrix-based systems last week. The new systems, which will be offered under both the Packard Bell and
NEC brands, include Packard Bell's least-expensive system to date, the $699 Packard Bell 550, a
233-MHz Cyrix MediaGX-based system with 24-MB RAM and a 2.1-GB hard drive.
Packard Bell NEC is expected to expand the lineup this summer around the time of the Win 98 launch. In all,
sources said, five or six systems will be introduced at prices below $1,199, equipped with either Cyrix's
MediaGX or MII chips.
In addition to the $699 model, the new lineup is likely to include an MII 266-MHz system with 48 MB of RAM
at $899, an MII 300-MHz system at $999, and an MII 333-MHz system at $1,199.
At prices higher than $1,199, Packard Bell plans to market a Pentium II 300-MHz system for $1,599 and a
Pentium II 333-MHz PC for $1,999. The company will also offer an Intel Pentium 233 MHz with MMX for
$799, sources said.
Packard Bell will be followed closely by Compaq, which began shipping its latest sub-$1,000 system, the
Presario 2254, last week. Based on Advanced Micro Device's 266-MHz K6 processor, the system has an
expected street price of $899, and an advertising embargo date of June 14, even though it began shipping
to retailers on May 29.
Compaq and Packard Bell will lead the way over the next two weeks, with Packard Bell shipping its new Cyrix-based PC lineup, and Compaq sending retailers its first 300-MHz Intel Celeron-based system, the Presario 5020. The Compaq unit will carry an estimated price of $1,299, and is slated to ship on June 12, with a shelf date of June 15 and an ad embargo date of July 1. Both the Presario 2254 and 5020 will be offered with a $100 rebate for customers who register their systems via Compaq's website.
As previously reported in Computer Retail Week, Compaq's PC line, which is expected to be introduced next week, includes a Pentium II 400-MHz system with a whopping 128 MB of RAM, according to sources.
A step-down unit with the same processor features 96 MB of RAM. Compaq's new line will also include PCs based on 300-MHz and 350-MHz Pentium II processors, each with 64 MB of RAM. System prices range from $1,600 on the low end to $2,600 at the high end.
HP will miss the initial rush of pre-Win 98 shipments, sending forth its new line in July, including the company's first AMD K6-based system, the Pavilion 6330, with a 266-MHz clock speed, and an $899 estimated price. HP's second Celeron-based Pavilion, the 6340, will ship in mid-June, retailers say, with an estimated price of $1,099.
HP is said to be preparing three Pentium II models, with processors ranging from 333 MHz to 450 MHz, and prices from $1,500 to $2,800, according to sources.
Sony is expected to debut a summer lineup that will include two new Celeron-based systems running at 266MHz and 300 MHz, and priced at $999 and $1,299, respectively.
Copyright 1998, CMP Media Inc. |
