Innovation On The Go

It looks like the Dell mobile-computing team needs to steal a page from IBM's game book. In VARBusiness' 2003 Annual Report Card, the Dell product line got slammed by voters, finishing dead last in virtually every category. Winner IBM, meanwhile, delivered the goods with a strong showing in product quality/reliability and compatibility and ease of integration. It also ranked first in loyalty, which cemented its win.

"We lead with the IBM ThinkPad platform because IBM is on the leading edge when it comes to wireless networking technology," says Tom Boyd, vice president of sales and marketing for Raleigh, N.C.-based Computer Service Partners. "These laptops interface well with all wireless access points and work equally well with the Sprint AirCards we are offering our customers to give them the freedom to be mobile when they are on the road, in airports, hotels, etc."

Frank Vitagliano, vice president of distribution channels management for IBM Personal Computing Division, believes winning comes down to innovation.

"Our ThinkVantage technologies allow us to deliver innovative mobile solutions that help our customers significantly reduce their services and support costs," he says. "For example, IBM Access Connections software simplifies the transition between wired and wireless environments, such as an office or a public hot spot, and eliminates the need to rekey configurations and settings when entering a new environment."

IBM will continue to develop those kinds of technologies to help its business partners and their customers save time and money, Vitagliano adds.

IBM, however, is not the whole story in this highly competitive category. Toshiba actually emerged a winner in two subcategories, with HP sharing its crown in partnership. In that subcategory, HP beat out all other comers in areas such as solution-provider program, communication and ease of doing business.

Toshiba was a close winner in the support subcategory, finishing tops in postsales support, quality of technical support and marketing support.

Whether IBM captures the top slot next year, one thing is certain: The market will continue to grow.

According to Gartner Dataquest, 9.79 million mobile computers are expected to ship this year, up from 8.68 million in 2002. Next year, that total will increase to 10.97 million.