Ultralights A Good Fit For Road Warriors
No other technology better epitomizes mobility than notebook-based computers. Research shows that the market is hungry for these versatile devices, and with solution providers anxiously predicting solid growth for the mobile PC market, there is plenty of profit to be had.
As the capabilities of notebooks improve, more and more users are making the switch from desktop PCs. Interestingly, many see the notebook as a complete replacement for desktop units, which further enhances sales opportunities. Notebook systems now offer many of the features found in desktop systems, including large screens, low power consumption, low noise and expansion opportunities via docking stations. Those needs have enhanced the market segment referred to as desktop replacements. These notebooks, however, are only portable in the basic sense of the word—short battery life and heavy weight are the downside to a robust feature set.
For workers that spend more time on the road than at a desk, ultralight notebooks show the most promise. Ultralights tend to only have basic feature sets and minimize travel weight while maximizing battery life. That combination is good for solution providers—ultralight notebooks are usually more costly than other notebooks and as such offer higher margins. What’s more, ultralights are ideal candidates for optional components. Devices such as external optical drives, power adapters and docking stations all add revenue in the form of add-on sales.
Mobile solutions, on the whole, offer other integration opportunities, including VPN solutions, remote-control products, desktop security products such as antivirus and antispam, and countless other products. The key to profiting here is to be aware of those added opportunities, which in most cases are necessary to complete functionality yet go unmentioned by VARs.
Solution providers also can build several services around mobile platforms, ranging from e-mail-hosting to repairs to maintenance, all of which have expanded importance to the mobile worker. With all of this in mind, it begins to make sense to sell portable systems instead of traditional desktops. While that may seem like a threat to custom-system builders, solace can be found in the fact that several larger manufactures offer whitebooks. These units still offer high margins and create customization opportunities for system builders looking to wring every penny of profit out of the platform. Simply put, notebook-based systems can become the gift that keeps on giving.
