Intel gears up for battle over NCs

Intel, claiming not to be threatened by network computers (NC) and their promised low cost of ownership, has developed systems software aimed at reducing the non-hardware cost of owning a PC.

The product, codenamed Sydney, integrates Intel's LanDesk Manager systems software with a help desk management system and a knowledge base, and will ship next month.

It will handle problem queues, prompt support staff with diagnostic questions, and work with third-party knowledge bases of known PC problems and fixes. Support staff will be able to control users' machines remotely, and access configuration details maintained in real time for every machine.

Research from analyst group Forrester quoted by Intel puts the annual cost of owning a PC at $8,000 (#5,161), with yearly hardware purchase costs accounting for $2,000 of this total. The next greatest cost is $1,890 for time spent by end users waiting for systems departments to fix problems, or trying to fix them themselves.

James Smith, director of Intel's European networking products division, said: 'We're trying to get frontline support people to be more effective than just asking, "Is the printer switched on?"'

Over the last six months, Intel has attempted to dampen enthusiasm for the NC, which, if successful, would adversely affect sales of Intel's Pentium and Pentium Pro and their successors.

Andy Grove, Intel's chief executive, has claimed that NCs will demand excessive bandwidth. The company is promoting a rival concept which it calls the 'Connected PC' - a high-powered PC which downloads multimedia content from the Internet and stores it locally.

Smith said: 'The question is - will the NC get 5% or 80% of the market? We think it'll be a lot closer to 5%. The NC will find itself a slot somewhere, in kiosks maybe or in some other niche.'