Channel Seen As Tablet PC Driver

Tablet PC vendors expect most of their sales to be driven by the channel, where solution providers will earmark the mobile computers for vertical applications.

To sell its tablet lineup, ViewSonic is targeting midrange and enterprise solution providers via such distributors as Tech Data, Synnex and ASI, said Tom Offutt, general manager for the Mobile and Wireless Division. It also will use the retail channel to reach small businesses, he said.

Hewlett-Packard plans to sell its Compaq Tablet PC TC1000 through its notebook channel and expects most sales to be to businesses, said Ted Clark, vice president of new markets for HP's Notebook Global Business Unit.

>> Tablet PCs offer a host of channel opportunities, especially in data collection and transmission.

Electrovaya is slated to sell its Tablet PCs via distributors including Ingram Micro and D&H Distributing, said CEO Sankar Das Gupta.

Motion Computing's tablets are configured to order in Taiwan by Compal, the world's largest notebook maker, and shipped directly to the solution provider or customer site, said Ralph Spagnola, vice president of sales at Motion Computing. And AOpen plans to offer Tablet PCs next March, when its build-to-order program is slated to launch, said Ken Wang, product manager.

Tablet PCs offer the channel a slew of opportunities, especially in data collection and wireless data transmission, said Jeff Geraci, director of business development at Advanced Data Research, an Amber Hills, Mich.-based solution provider. For example, sales staff can have all needed documents available via tablets, and insurance adjusters could use them for appraisals, he said.

Replacing paper is key, said Mark Alexander, president of ISC, a Tallahassee, Fla., solution provider serving the Florida state government. "The killer application for our customer base will be an app that provides a viable alternative to printed reports and documentation," he said.

Still, Tablet PCs likely won't be instant best-sellers because they have yet to prove that they will deliver a good return on investment and withstand harsh field conditions, said Michael Cocanower, president of ITSynergy, Phoenix.

PAULA ROONEY & BARBARA DARROW contributed to this story.