Wyse To Expand Thin-Client Computing To Wireless And Mira Devices

Despite the fact the thin-client business is still growing, with third-quarter shipments up 31 percent compared with the second quarter, Wyse wants to provide its 3,500 solution providers more products to help them avoid the low-margin PC business, said Jeff McNaught, vice president of market strategy at the vendor.

Early next year, Wyse plans to sell mobile thin clients aimed specifically at four key vertical markets, including hospitals, retail operations, manufacturing and hospitality, McNaught said. Wyse plans to introduce them at next week's Citrix iForum. Such mobile devices will be centrally managed models, and much less expensive than Tablet PCs, McNaught said.

The company also plans to introduce thin clients based on Microsoft's Mira specifications for wireless handheld devices. The Mira-based devices, originally slated to be delivered late his year, have been delayed by Microsoft until early next year.

These devices are expected to be used as companions to PCs, allowing a single wireless device to be used by multiple users on a temporary basis, with each user being able to call up his or her own applications, McNaught said. They should be available early next year for less than $1,000, he said.

Also in the first quarter, Wyse plans to introduce technology to increase the capacity of MS Terminal Services-based and Citrix-based servers by allowing them to serve more clients per processor, McNaught said.

Wyse also plans to unveil technology to manage desktop PCs as if they were thin clients, especially for customers who have a lot of desktop PCs and are looking to extend their hardware life, McNaught said. Administrators will be able to decide what level of local applications can be used when the PCs are set up as a thin client, he said.