| Wal-Mart's $200 Linux PCs sell out |
Nov. 15, 2007
Right after Halloween, Wal-Mart introduced Everex's Ubuntu Linux-powered TC2502 gPC for a list price of $198. Two weeks later, they're sold out. Everex tells DesktopLinux that more will be coming though.
Wal-Mart only bought an initial run of approximately 10,000 units. For once, Wal-Mart's vaunted supply chain management system failed to predict just how popular an item would be. Wal-Mart offers a similar Everex model with more base memory and Windows Vista Home Basic called the Everex Impact GC3502 Desktop, for $100 more. Wal-Mart still has plenty of those.
Customers want the Everex TC2502 Green gPC and they want it badly. While there are a few units still available in Wal-Mart stores, you'll need a lot of luck finding one. A search in your editor's area, Asheville, NC, found there wasn't a single one within a hundred miles.
But, there are more TC2502s coming. According to Paul Kim, Everex's director of marketing, while "there are only a few units left on the Wal-Mart shelves we've noticed customers are having difficulty finding them since they're so spread out. Walmart.com sold out within 48 hours and is trying to restock now."
However, "We were originally reserving a second batch of gPCs for post-Black Friday [sales], but [we've] decided to release early because of the high demand," Kim said.
Everex will also be building more of these popular low-cost Linux desktops. Kim said: "The Refresh SKU [Stock Keeping Unit] is being finalized."
Everex will also be expanding where you'll be able to get the TC2502 as more PCs become available. Kim said that the computer is now available from the online Linux system reseller ZaReason. ZaReason currently has TC2502s available for sale. The reseller also offers Wi-Fi and memory upgrade options, up to 2GBs, for its TC2502 systems.
NewEgg, an online PC and technology retailer, will also have some of these PCs soon. "By the weekend, newegg.com will have stock as well," Kim added.
Several things seem to be driving the TC2502's popularity. First, while no one is going to rave about its hardware—1.5GHz, VIA C7-D processor, 512MB of system memory, 80GB hard disk drive and DVD-ROM/CD-RW optical drive with six USB 2.0 ports; an RJ45 Ethernet port; an RJ11 port; and a serial and parallel port—it does the job.
As one satisfied customers on the Wal-Mart forum for the PC wrote: "This machine is geared toward people who need something cheap that does the basics—surfing the net, e-mail, IMs and some light word processing. For the price, you can't beat it."
The second item in its favor is its gOS Linux operating system. This simple-to-use Ubuntu 7.10 Linux-based system uses the Enlightenment E17 desktop interface with pre-setup Google applications for perhaps the easiest to use Linux desktop experience ever. Its ease of use, combined with its Google integration, has made it extremely popular in almost no time at all.
—Steven J. Vaughan Nichols
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