New Notebooks For U.S. Market Debut At Computex In Taiwan

Analyst firm Current Analysis said earlier this month that notebook sales accounted for 53 percent of the total U.S. PC market in May—outpacing desktop sales for the first time.

More powerful processors, wider screens and ubiquitous wireless connectivity mark the new crop of portable PCs heading to the U.S. market.

However, many solution providers said the extra bells and whistles of the new models will not be as important to their customers as lower prices.

Brian Lisse, owner of Madison Computer Works, a Madison, Wis.-based solution provider that sells Acer America notebooks, said his company's laptop sales have recently increased dramatically because notebook prices now are not much higher than desktop prices.

"There's not much of a price premium over desktop PCs," Lisse said. "If I sell a desktop PC with a monitor, the laptop doesn't cost much more, but customers get portability and enough processing power for most people."

Bryan Computers, Ann Arbor, Mich., is experiencing much the same situation thanks to prices of name-brand models falling to less than $900, said Tony Audas, director of purchasing.

However, Audas said models with too many features are usually welcomed more by the direct channel. "I can see where a certain customer segment might be interested in something like a TV tuner," he said. "It depends on price. But those customers tend to go direct with Dell or Toshiba."

Stephen Monteros, general manager at GST/E-Systems, Brea, Calif., said more powerful notebook PCs—especially those with wider screens and wireless capability—are prompting businesses to replace their desktop PCs to give mobile employees temporary workplaces at the office.

"But fancy features are more of a distraction," Monteros said. "They are an anti-sales tool in our space." Even so, luxury models are on tap for the channel, vendors said.

Asus Computer, Fremont, Calif., plans to ship its upscale W2V in July or August, said Rick Allen, marketing manager. The W2V features an all-aluminum case with a brushed black surface that dissipates the heat evenly, Allen said. It includes a 17-inch VGA screen and a TV tuner with analog tuning capability and possibly digital tuning, depending on U.S. standards. A built-in subwoofer enhances its audio capabilities.

Asus' new W3V is a 5.5-pound notebook PC with a 14-inch widescreen display and an Intel 750 processor. A carbon-composite shell with power and other buttons on the side of the unit cut down on user distractions, Allen said. It is priced at $1,899.

Acer America, San Jose, Calif., showed two new models at Computex. The TravelMate 3000, already shipping, features a widescreen 12.1-inch LCD screen, a 1.73GHz Pentium M processor, a 60-Gbyte hard drive and Windows XP Pro, with a list price of $1,299, said Scott Peters, product marketing manager.

Although the TravelMate 3000 weighs only 3.1 pounds, it has a full-size keyboard because of the widescreen LCD, Peters said. The unit includes a six-cell battery for up to five hours of mobile use, and a lighter, three-cell battery for up to two hours of use.

Late this month, Acer expects to start selling its new Ferrari 4000 model, featuring a carbon-fiber case designed with help from the car manufacturer. Priced at $1,999, it will include a 15.4-inch widescreen display, an AMD Turion MC37 processor, a 100-Gbyte hard drive and battery life of up to three hours.

Elitegroup Computer Systems, Fremont, Calif., showed three models set to ship in June and July, said Jason Fan, vice president of sales. They include the 223, with a 12.1-inch widescreen display and a built-in 1.3-megapixel camera; the 331, with a 15.4-inch widescreen LCD and an AMD Mobile Athlon processor; and the 910, with a 17-inch screen, a Pentium processor and a built-in TV tuner.