Imago Micro joins MultiQ FPC drive

Imago Micro has joined forces with Swedish monitor maker MultiQ as the vendor enters the flat panel computer (FPC) market for the first time.

MultiQ, based in Stockholm, has traditionally produced only LCD monitors but will launch a #3,000 box, due in late September.

A hybrid between a desktop and a laptop PC, the FPC has a laptop-sized box, a 15in LCD monitor and a standard keyboard.

MultiQ has recruited Imago Micro as its UK distributor in an exclusive agreement, although the machines will not physically distribute through it. The Berkshire vendor will concentrate on increasing market demand, rather than just fulfilment.

Marianne Ardsjo, marketing manager at MultiQ, said: 'Imago Micro will act as our UK sales centre. It knows our market in the City and has a strong presence there.'

Bob Johnson, marketing manager at Imago Micro, added that the vendor would be working closely with corporate resellers to target MultiQ's existing customers in the City, where he said there was 'more than one bank with 500 or 600 MultiQ monitors installed'.

MultiQ is also seeking a partner to carry out on-site upgrades and servicing for its users.

Clive Longbottom, strategy analyst at CSL Consultancy Services, added: 'This is a market in which users still want something 100 per cent standard.

This seems to be something that is not value-add, but value restricted because it will give all sorts of problems with expandability.

'But if it takes off, the price seems prohibitive and the likes of Dell and Compaq may come in, undercut MultiQ and clean it out,' he warned.