reasons to do so (such as a broader portfolio purchase with leveraged discounts). For pen-tablet- based vertical solutions, Fujitsu/Fujitsu Siemens should be considered as a supplier, regardless of customer location.

Gateway

Gateway is in the Niche Players quadrant. Since acquiring eMachines, Gateway has expanded its operation to Western Europe, Latin America and Japan; however, it remains primarily focused on retail and has shown no signs of building the capabilities needed to be a global enterprise notebook supplier. Gateway’s enterprise product portfolio is good, and its direct sales capabilities within the U.S. are adequate, although limited. The lack of a strong track record with large-enterprise customers is a barrier to Gateway strengthening its position with this customer group.

Recommendation: Gateway is not recommended for new global notebook PC contracts, but it should be considered as a prospective supplier for small-to- midsize quantities in the U.S. market. Outside North America, customers should expect limited supply capability.

HP

HP has well-balanced scores for Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision. HP achieves one of the highest scores for its service and support capabilities. HP maintains excellent account management for its largest global enterprise customers, but the complexity of contracts when channel partners are used can create confusion for some customers. While coordination challenges may still exist for smaller-enterprise customers, the patchy account management seen through 2004 has disappeared, showing that the underlying organizational issues are resolved. HP has a broad product offering with a variety of form factors and is regarded as best in class for its ongoing efforts to understand user needs and customer satisfaction.

Recommendation: HP should be considered a prospective supplier for global enterprise customers regardless of size of the business. Customers with multilocational requirements that involve use of third parties should expect detailed contracts.

Lenovo

Lenovo has the highest score for Completeness of Vision; however, its Ability to Execute score is below that of its leading competitors. Lenovo’s high score for Completeness of Vision is because of its product design/development capabilities and the level of meaningful innovation it delivers with its enterprise notebook products. Lenovo’s ThinkPad brand, together with its ThinkVantage technology, is well- regarded for IT deployments. Lenovo’s main weakness is its high dependency on IBM for direct sales, although the use of IBM's global services organization means customers usually have access to high-quality services. With IBM as its primary distribution channel to global customers, Lenovo now has less-direct access to and feedback from all but its largest enterprise customers.

Recommendation: Consider Lenovo as a prospective supplier for all business notebook requirements. Organizations should also investigate the potential advantages and licensing costs of extending use of ThinkVantage utilities to their PC installed base. Customers that had originally purchased notebooks from IBM should monitor performance against associated service commitments to ensure service levels and qualities continue to be maintained by Lenovo.

MPC

MPC is positioned in the Niche Players quadrant. MPC offers good products, and its support capability is well-regarded by customers. It has well-organized mechanisms for customer feedback and is “high touch” for its limited customer base. However, MPC’s focus is the United States only, and the company plans no global expansion.

Recommendation: MPC should not be considered for global notebook contracts or for high-volume deployments over short intervals. MPC’s capabilities and customer approach mean it should be considered as a prospective supplier for U.S.-only, midvolume notebook contracts, or as a second source.

Toshiba

Toshiba is positioned in the Visionaries quadrant. Toshiba’s engineering gives it excellent product design and development capabilities, which boosts its Completeness of Vision score. However, Toshiba’s

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