Alernative Vendors: Notebooks, Laptops

When it comes to deciding on a notebook vendor, variety is the spice of life. While market leaders Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. offer choices, sometimes customers come in looking for things the big guys don't provide. And other times the custom-system route best satisfies customer needs while allowing solution providers to make more margins.

"It depends on the different models that you pick. The notebook more than any other part of the market is not a one-size-fits-all," said Paul Whalley, CEO of Whalley Computer Associates Inc., Southwick, Mass. While corporate customers may come with specific requirements and company-approved brands, SMBs come in with a wish list and then depend on the solution provider to prescribe the best model, he said. As opposed to desktops, notebooks are often bought with attention to look and feel. In addition to HP, Whalley Computer sells Lenovo and Toshiba America Inc.

Another up-and-coming force in the notebook market is Apple, but it's often an either/or situation when it comes to Apple or HP and Dell. "[Apple's] a very cool product, and people usually ask for one or the other. They're not usually torn between a PC and a Mac," Whalley said.

Apple MacBooks are what Craig Flint, owner of Computer ER, Missoula, Mont., sells when he's not selling HP notebooks. ""We're actually having quite a few of our business customers moving over from PCs to MacBook Pros and the MacBooks. In a lot of people's eyes that's alternative, big time."

Another growing alternative market is the white-book segment. Seneca Data's white-book business has seen triple-digit growth in recent years, said Steve Maser, vice president of product development and marketing for the Syracuse, N.Y., system builder. White books have longer life cycles than tier-one vendors' notebooks, he said, and provide more stable platforms for customers.