NCDs slim down

Electronic News, Sept 29, 1997 by Cynthia Bournellis

Mountain View, Calif.--When Bob Gilbertson, president of Network Computing Devices (NCD), saw the sleek, vertical design of IBM's network computer, the Network Station, he ordered marketing to come up with a more "swoopy" design for the next generation of NCD's network computers. "Our design is too boxy," Mr. Gilbertson had told company executives in a meeting nearly one year ago.

Today, Mr. Gilbertson's design vision will rear its head as NCD launches a new family of thin client devices that boast a thinner, ergonomic-like shape. The flatter, larger design of the enclosure on the new Explora 700 model allows for better dissipation of heat generated by the internal chips, said Lou Greer, an NCD VP.

The new Explora family ranges from terminal replacements to Unix workstation alternatives. Explora also executes Java applets and video and other multimedia applications. The Windows-based Explora 400 entry-level model accesses Unix, Java and legacy applications. It is driven by a 33MHz PowerPC processor and sells for under $700. The Explora 400 will ship next month, replacing the current Explora and Explora Pro models. "It is basically an upgrade from a dumb terminal," noted Mr. Greer. He said Federal Express, a current customer of NCD's high-end HMX network computers, is bidding out a purchase order for 50,000-70,000 units to replace the current character-based terminals and to enable access to Windows applications.

The new Explora 700 uses a 64-bit MIPS 150MHz R4700 RISC processor and is designed to display work done on traditional Unix workstations onto thin clients. The Explora 700, which will list for $1,695, will be available in November, replacing HMX systems by the end of the year. Both Explora models will support the ICA thin client/server protocol used to access WinFrame servers developed by Citrix Systems, Inc., a systems software company. They are filling out their line with devices that are more robust with workstation power.

Meanwhile, Apple Computer last week said it plans to make network computers under the Apple brand for the publishing and education markets. The new devices will debut in January at MacWorld Expo in San Francisco, with availability next spring. The forthcoming systems will reportedly run the current Macintosh operating system and the PowerPC chip code-named "Arthur." Further reports indicated the new machines will sell for $750 and will be connected to servers running the upcoming Rhapsody operating system.

Observers wondered if Apple will be successful in its new venture, given its failure to beef up its lethargic sales and keep current customers, as many have fled to the Wintel platform, while others continue to re-evaluate their future plans to support Apple products. For instance, Ernst & Young this year spent $80 million replacing all of its Macintoshes with Wintel desktop and laptop computers from Dell Computer. And when the Chicago public schools district this summer broke ground on a wireless LAN project that would eventually call for new computers at its 576 schools, the school board voted to buy new machines from IBM and Compaq Computer, rather than Apple.

Industry analyst Ron Cooke, VP of Network Client Business in Menlo Park, Calif., believes Apple has no choice. "It's the only hardware market they have left."