IBM Shrinks Desktop PC

IBM's PC desktop division continues to think small in a big way, announcing a desktop system that is 35 percent smaller than its predecessor with a footprint that takes up less space than some of its laptop machines.

IBM officials expect to ship the first units in July with broader availability in August, and said the entry level price will be just under $600.

About the size of a cereal box, the new ThinkCentre S50 weighs in at 13 pounds. It will be aimed at both small and large companies that operate in space-constrained environments. IBM officials at Wednesday's press conference said specifically they will target their efforts among those working in the finance and health industries.

"In talking with our customers it is clear that office space is shrinking in nearly all industries, and desktop PCs need to acknowledge that trend," said Fran O'Sullivan, general manager of IBM's Personal Computing Division. "When your desktop PC occupies a footprint even smaller than a notebook, then you've got more room for the folders, pads, and documents of everyday office life," she added.

Underlining her point, O'Sullivan pointed to a recent industry study that pointed out companies in the 61 largest metropolitan areas had set aside an average of 227 square feet for each employee in the 1980s, but now each only gets 150 to 200 square feet. The shrinking office means a tighter fit at work. In another study the International Facility Management Association stated that from 1997 to 2002, offices for managers and technical employees was reduced by an average of 14 percent.

Another PC Said Smaller

IBM was not the only vendor announcing space-saving desktop PCs. At the annual Computex technology conference this past weekend in Taipei, the Taiwan-based Saint Song unwrapped what it claims to be the world's smallest PC.

The new system, called the Latte Genie PC, can hold up to a 3.4 GHz Pentium 4 chip, the Intel 865GV chipset, and an 800MHz front side bus. The unit measures just 8.3 inches by 6.6 inches by 2.7 inches.

The unit also includes four USB 2.0 ports, with two on the front and two in the back, a Gigabit Ethernet connection, a 100 megabit-per-second Ethernet connection, a modem port, an IrDA infrared port, a four-in-one memory card reader, and two PCMCIA slots. However, unlike IBM's new system, the Latte Genie's power supply is external to the PC.

The system is expected to arrive in the United States by the end of July, a company spokesperson says.

ThinkCentre S50 Specs

While the IBM system only measures 11 inches wide by 10.2 inches deep by 3.3 inches high, it contains an internal power supply and accommodates one full-height PCI card, one optical drive, one 3.5-inch internal hard drive, and an Intel-based Pro-1000 Ethernet card.

The ThinkCentre S50 will be available with either an Intel Celeron or a P4 CPU, and has other user-configurable system options.

The unit also comes with a "caddy" that surrounds the hard drive, which users can deploy to lock the unit in place without using any tools. Another mechanical improvement over its predecessor is the overall design that has contributed to noise reduction and improved air flow to reduce heat. Also, USB ports are spaced wider apart so additional memory keys can be fit in, said company spokesman said.

Like other IBM desktops, the new model has some of IBM's ThinkVantage Technologies, including Rescue and Recovery with Rapid Restore, which is a one-button backup and recovery solution that restores previously saved data and systems settings. The system will also come with the company's software image management, which helps lower the costs for IT shops by reducing the number of software images that must be managed.

IBM is also including a new feature, the Access IBM button, which can deliver users to a portal for IBM support that includes diagnostic tools, a range of automated solutions, and links to technical updates.