Internet PC’s: Next Wave Or Nonsense? Essay, Research Paper

Internet PC’s: Next Wave or Nonsense?

Call them what you will: Internet appliances. Network terminals. The whole

computer industry is abuzz over proposals for ultra low-cost devices that let

you surf the net, shop, and bank from home. However many sceptics abound saying

they are merely the most recent fad alternative to the traditional PC. I would

agree, saying that where the cost ($300-800) and the ease of use may be

appealing, the real-world applications limit these machines so-much that they

will be obsolete in ten years, much like the 80486. So don’t get your Pentium

ready for the rummage sale just yet. Investment is pouring into surfboxes right

now because average people may turn out to prefer single-function devices. Says

Steven McAllister, vice president of sales and marketing for Bandi: “[these

systems will] open up the web… to a huge market that either couldn’t afford a

PC or didn’t want to be a hobbyist. But nobody’s sure customers really want

them.”