Portada MANAGERIAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS
by Rodrigo Arias

How Much Does a PC Really Cost?

Until a few months ago, nobody took the time to analyze the real cost of buying and using a PC (Personal Computer). In the United States, this subject has almost become hysteria, because of the apparently high cost of owning a PC. If all of the costs, many of them hidden within the organization of a company, are carefully quantified, the problem becomes evident. According to Gartner Group, the cost of owning a PC in a U.S. corporation is $13,000 a year and, according to Intel, it lies around $9,300.

How can these results be applied to our country? Anyone, with a little patience, can figure out the cost of a PC in his business. An actual study indicates that, in Central America, owning a PC costs anywhere from $4,000 to $6,000 a year.

Is it worth it to have a mouse, a color monitor, a hard disk, virus infections, training in Windows, specialized Windows personnel, and all the other costs contributing to the total figure of at least $4,000 a year? The answer is simple: if every PC's competitive advantage or greatest functionality does not generate extra sales for the company that are greater than its cost, then no.

Until now, no one has offered an intermediate option between the $400 of a very limited terminal and the $4,000 of a PC with too much capacity. And this is precisely what Oracle, SUN, et.al. are now selling: a work station called Network Computer, that includes client-server systems and graphics at the more reasonable cost of $500 to $1,000. Intel and Microsoft have also come up with their version, the Net PC.

Competition is fierce, and the primary objective is to lower costs and maintain the functionality of a graphic interface. In about six months, the first results will be seen. Who will win? If we are lucky, we the clients.

Inicio Write to us at agg@guate.net
November, 1996