NC vs PC. Which One Is Right For You?
Ray Van Eng (05/17/96)
As more and more American households are buying computers these days, various
computer firms are gearing up to serve this segment of the market. On one
camp, there is Oracle, IBM and Sun Microsystem touting their $500 Network
Computer (NC) which is essentially a stripped down PC that is designed
to be an Internet access device with basic word processing features and
not much else. The NC would rely on downloadable Java application to give
the computer power.
On the other camp, Microsoft and other computer makers are defending the traditional PC which they say consumers would not settle for anything less capable than what a PC can do today. They call for cheaper PCs (sub $1000) but not a less expensive PC alternative such as the Network Computer.
AST Research seems to have strike a chord with Microsoft and company. AST will release a line of full-fledged PCs which retails for $997 and available through Wal-Mart's 2200 stores. The AST Advantage PC will come with 8 MB of RAMs, Windows 95, word processing, personal finance and entertainment software.
Meanwhile Oracle, IBM and others are gearing up for production of the NC. More than a dozen vendors including Acer, Tatung, Motorola, Olivetti and Digital Equipment are expected to manufacture the machine. Canada's Corel Corp. is reportedly working on a suite of integrated Java applications specially designed for the NC that will combine word processing, spreadsheet and other functionalities.
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