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"I love my NC" is a statement I will not use to describe the debate between Network Computers (NC) and Personal Computers (PC). But the strongest proponent of PC-based computing, Microsoft Corporation, has tried to cloud the issues with emotional rhetoric. That is just what the company did when they distributed t-shirts and baseball caps that read "I (love) my PC" last fall at Comdex.
In 1996 Gartner shocked the PC industry by exposing the TCO for a networked Windows 95 PC at between $8,000 - $12,000 US per year. They also estimated that a company running NCs could cut 30-50% off this price tag. The PC industry has reacted by denying, disputing and finally defending its TCO turf. The most compelling argument put forth is the low-cost PC. With prices of PCs falling below $1,000 US, PC vendors have tried to blunt the TCO argument. Nevertheless, the low cost PC argument continues to ignore the fact that accurate price estimates must account for more than the capital cost.
Many computer users readily admit they would prefer not to worry about configuration and maintenance of their systems. For users who spend most of their time sending and reading email, browsing the Internet for information and publishing information, the NC is ideal. While PC vendors often tout the high performance of their systems, PC ease-of-use improvements haven't kept pace with their increased speed and capabilities. For PC users, configuring and maintaining today's PC is akin to tinkering with a high- performance automobile engine. It's not for the technologically timid.