InformationWeek

IBM Caters To NC Market Niches

By Gregory Dalton

BM introduced last week two new versions of its network computer configured for users who have different needs for processing Java.

The Network Station Series 300 and Series 1000 were designed to address what IBM sees as two of the three market niches for the NC: companies that simply want to use the system as the corporate desktop, and users of more heavy-duty Java applications. The third niche, replacement of terminals, was addressed by the Series 100, a basic NC that began shipping in March.

While most NCs are promoted as one-size-fits-all solutions, IBM's multiple-model strategy offers more choice, says Brian Murphy, an analyst at the Yankee Group in Boston. "There's going to be a need for a variety of capabilities on these devices," he says. "And knowing the way corporate IS departments make decisions, they are going to want a list to choose from."

IBM has shipped between 30,000 and 40,000 NCs so far this year, according to Phil Hester, VP of development for IBM's NC division.

The Series 300 comes with a 66-MHz PowerPC 403GCX microprocessor and 16 Mbytes of RAM for a starting price of $799. It's for users who rely on browsers to access data on corporate intranets or the Internet. The Series 1000, which will be available in the fourth quarter, uses a PowerPC 603e processor to give it enough muscle to handle IBM's upcoming Kona Java application suite. It will be priced at less than $1,000. The IBM Network Station Series 300 is available now for about $799. Series 100 models sell for about $649.

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