Korea Data Systems and TriGem Computer Company which have made substantial inroads into the low-end PC market in the US via their eMachines joint venture are to introduce a cut-price notebook PC. The eSlate 400K, which will launch in the US on November 15, will retail for $1,000. At a press conference in Seoul, a Korea Data Systems official said eMachines has already secured its first order for 15,000 of the new notebooks.
Targeted to appeal to price-conscious shoppers in the run-up to Christmas, the new notebook will feature an AMD K6-2 400Mhz processor, 32MB of memory, a 12.1-inch HPA LCD, 24x CD-ROM drive and 56Kbps fax modem. It will be competing head on with similar models from Compaq, Hewlett Packard, Toshiba and Sony which sell for between $1,200 and $1,400.
The official said eMachines has also struck a deal with America Online which will refund $400 of the purchase price to customers who sign up for the online service so reducing the cost to only $600.
