VXL aims thin-client laptops at classroom

Vendor hopes to bag a quarter of the thin-client market with its first laptop range

VXL has launched its first range of thin-client laptops, claiming it will help it achieve its aggressive target of grabbing 25 per cent of the thin-client market by 2007 (CRN, 27 June).

Frank Noon, VXL’s vice-president of sales, said: “Our new Itona TL range of thin-client laptops will allow us to strategically target key vertical markets, such as education, health, manufacturing and warehousing.”

Noon added that to his knowledge, US-based Maxspeed is the only other manufacturer that makes thin-client laptops.

“The demand is out there, particularly in education. Schools face tremendous pressures on their IT budgets and a thin-client laptop represents excellent value,” he said.

“The thin-client laptop market is still relatively new, but it is growing by about 20 per cent a year, according to IDC. Our current share of the market is four per cent. We’re in fourth position. Wyse is number one, followed by Neoware and then Hewlett-Packard. We want to increase our market share to 25 per cent to be in a better position to compete.”

VXL’s route to market in the UK, is through distributors Avnet Visual + Data Solutions and OpenPSL.

Dave Morris, product manager at Avnet, said: “We have been encouraging VXL to launch a thin-client laptop. We’ve been speaking to local education authorities and educational establishments and they are very keen to evaluate the technology.

“Apart from the cost benefits of a thin-client laptop, the other attraction is mobility. Schools can load the laptops onto a trolley and take computing facilities to any classroom instead of using a fixed location.”

Asked if resellers are aware of the benefits of thin-client technology, Morris said: “Some are, some aren’t. Our job as a distributor is to talk to our resellers and make them aware of it. We’ll be doing a push on these new thin-client laptops soon.”