Comment Articles

Gateway, AOL attack Wintel

Jesse Berst AnchorDesk

Published: 31 May 2000 17:13 BST

Don't sell your Intel shares yet.

Gateway is developing the appliances with AOL to run on the Linux operating system. They should be on the shelves in the fourth quarter. This isn't surprising news. Both Gateway and AOL have invested in Transmeta.

It's certainly not good news for the Wintel juggernaut. But it ain't the end. Think of it this way. You can shut off the Queen Mary's engines and it will still coast for a while. The Wintel cartel will be coasting for years to come.

THE DEAL

The Chip. Gateway will use the Transmeta 400MHz TM3120 chip to power the "Web pads". The chip has four important features for compact, portable computing:

It uses only 1 watt of power during normal operation.
It runs cooler, allowing for more compact systems without fans and heat sinks.
The Crusoe chip emulates, rather than copies, Intel's x86 instruction set. This means that Transmeta doesn't have to pay license fees to Intel.
The chip can be upgraded by computer makers or consumers using software. No chip replacement needed.

The OS. Mobile Linux. Unlike Windows bloatware, this OS is so compact it can be stored in flash memory rather than on a hard drive. This is great for battery-powered devices, not to mention speed.

The interface. AOL's next generation Netscape browser, dubbed Gecko, won't make you pick up a mouse or keyboard to get around. Just touch the screen.

THE HANG-UPS

Comes with leash. Portability is what makes Web pads such a cool idea. But the product announced by Gateway will still have to be plugged in to a phone line or cable. I predict most people will wait for the wireless version.

Cost. Cheap PCs are getting even cheaper thanks to advancements in chip design. At $500, consumers will rightfully place the Gateway unit at the luxury end of the home-computing scale. This is especially true if this is something they are supposed to leave lying around on the coffee table. Look for more interest when the price drops below $200.

There's no question Web pads are a part of all of our futures ... in about five years. Don't expect the Windows/Intel tower to crumble until then. Do you think the Gateway machine is a real challenge to Wintel or just an annoyance? Hit the Talk Back button and let me know.