By internalizing their Internet services instead of outsourcing them, it could be a good thing for Gateway. It's not critical, though. They're doing well with their hardware, their personal computer sales, so it's not as important overall. |
It has some advantages a desktop system doesn't. The price is low enough to appeal to others besides rich aficionados. |
It's really subjective. For the foreseeable future, we're going to have multiple formats. |
Microsoft is not going to establish a chokehold on the information appliances industry. These appliances don't need a standardized operating system the way PCs do. In many cases, the consumer will have no idea what the operating system is, since it's meant to be completely hidden. |
One of the key factors in this growth is the integration of functionality into less silicon [the basic ingredient of chips], which both reduces cost and provides greater design flexibility. |
There's certainly an advantage to having an instant installed base for people trying to decide what format. |
There's the question of how you are going to sell this when you've got sub-$500 PCs on the market. But this is going to be something that appeals to people who already have a PC, I think. They'll see this as complementary. |