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News >> Technology >>
HP to sell Linux-based PCs in Asia
By siliconindia staff writer
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Tuesday, 16 March 2004, 20:30 IST
TOKYO: US technology giant Hewlett-Packard Co (HP) plans to start selling several models of Linux-based desktop personal computers in 12 major Asian countries including India this June, a Japanese news report said on Tuesday.
Shipments could reach one million units in the first year in regional markets including India, Japan, China, South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper said, citing sources close to the firm.
The operating system and application software, including spreadsheet, word-processing and other business applications, will be procured from Japanese companies, the Nihon Keizai said.
Because the PCs will use Linux instead of the more costly Windows platform, they will likely be priced around $400 to $1,500 -- making them $180 to $360 cheaper than comparable Windows-based PCs, the newspaper said.
HP has chosen Asia as the launchpad for its Linux business because demand for PCs priced around 100,000 yen is particularly strong in the region, the Nihon Keizai said.
A major focus of HP's Linux PC business will likely be the Chinese market, the Nihon Keizai added.
It aims to develop a profitable business through focused volume sales in the region and expand it to the United States and Europe later, the Nihon Keizai said.
After-sales service will be comparable to that offered for Windows machines, the newspaper said.