*** Simultaneously Improves Essential Line's Power
And Performance to Offer Even More Value ***
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Gateway (NYSE: GTW) today announced
significant price reductions on its two most popular PCs -- the Essential
consumer line -- to increase its presence in the sub-$1,000 PC market while at
the same time improving system performance and giving customers even more ways
to personalize their PCs to meet their needs.
Starting Saturday, Gateway's most affordable Essential PC will be priced
at $799 compared with $899. This system also has been improved with a faster
processor (Intel Celeron 633 MHz compared with Celeron 566 MHz) and twice the
memory (64 MB vs. 32 MB). Gateway's other Essential system, the Gateway
Essential 733 featuring an Intel Pentium III 733 MHz processor, 64 MB of
memory and a 17" monitor, will be priced at $999. As before, both systems
include a full set of features and a year of America Online service in the
base price.
"We're taking our strategy of built-to-order personalization to the next
level by better customizing the entire technology experience -- not just the
PC itself," said Cliff Holtz, senior vice president of Gateway's consumer
division. "We're making the base system more affordable, and at the same time
offering more than a dozen new packages of popular software, peripherals and
training at prices that allow customers to save hundreds more dollars on their
Gateway purchase."
In addition to its popular Your:)Ware 2.0 packages of software,
peripherals and training, Gateway is introducing 16 new customized value packs
created to offer even more technology personalization to meet the unique
requirements of students, gaming enthusiasts, PC beginners, Hispanic
customers, home office workers and others. These new packages are priced to
save customers as much as $206 off the price of purchasing the items
individually. Customers who want to buy additional items individually, or
none at all, can buy only what they need.
"Gateway leads the industry in providing people with everything they need
to get more out of technology -- with Internet access, training, software,
service and more," said Holtz. "These items have proven so popular with
consumers that we're now able to reduce basic system prices, which in turn
gives people more access to the options that provide an even more personalized
technology experience. This is great news for anyone shopping for a PC, and
it comes in time for the busiest consumer PC buying time of the year."
Gateway recently launched an advertising campaign with the tagline "People
Rule" -- an expression of the company's philosophy that technology is
beneficial only to the extent that it serves people in their daily lives. A
"People Rule" TV commercial currently airing explains the Gateway customer
"bill of rights," including "the right to customized technology at a fair
price."
In August Gateway announced an unprecedented grassroots effort to leverage
Gateway Country stores as community centers for demystifying technology. This
initiative includes:
-- Free weekly clinics in all 300 Gateway Country stores, teaching
customers everything from PC and Internet basics to digital
photography, digital music, online investing and business network
planning.
-- An "Ask-a-Tech" program in each store to make technicians available
once a week to provide free guidance, answer questions and analyze
problems.
-- A developing network of Gateway Technology Ambassadors whose sole
mission is to provide localized outreach to community groups and help
demystify technology with free mobile clinics, in-store advice sessions
and other activities tailored to their needs.
-- Additional training offerings, leveraging Gateway's 5,000 training
seats in Gateway Country stores nationwide and expertise as America's
leading provider of non-vocational technology training.
About Gateway
Gateway (NYSE: GTW), a Fortune 250 company founded in 1985, focuses on
building lifelong relationships with consumers and businesses through complete
technology personalization. Gateway ranked number one in U.S. consumer PC
revenue in 1999(1) and was rated among the top ten best corporate reputations
in America according to a survey conducted in August of 1999 by Harris
Interactive and the Reputation Institute and published in The Wall Street
Journal. Gateway employees worldwide provide clients with services and
built-to-order computers that consistently win top awards from leading
industry publications. Gateway had total global revenue of $8.65 billion in
1999 and shipped 4.68 million systems. For more information, visit our Web
site at http://www.gateway.com
(1) According to GartnerGroup/Dataquest US PC Quarterly statistics.
SOURCE Gateway
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Related links:
http://www.gateway.com
CONTACT:
Brad Williams, 858-799-2511,
brad.williams@gateway.com, or Greg Lund, 858-799-2512,
greg.lund@gateway.com, both of Gateway
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