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C retail newcomers Mitsuba and Future Power, and a resurrected AST, will attempt to carve out a place in the crowded entry-level PC market this summer.
Mitsuba and Future Power will incorporate technology such as CD-RW and DVD-ROM drives in PCs priced as low as $700 as a differentiator, while AST will try to work its way back into contention with a multi-pronged attack that has the brand selling through retailers, online merchants, and value-added resellers (VAR).
Future Power's strategy also focuses on VARs, but where AST wants to attract more business customers, Future Power's aim is to lure home users to buy from a VAR's storefront operation.
Mitsuba, under the Xtreme PC name, will ship its first PC featuring both a CD-RW drive and CD-ROM, said executive VP Randy Scott. The company, which entered the market in January, employs an across-the-board pricing strategy ranging from $399 (after rebate) to $1,299 and is "looking at the possibility of having a $299 desktop in the fourth quarter," Scott said.
Xtreme PC's back-to-school line shipped late last week. Leading the line was the XT-3511M,...