The seismic shift away from desktop PCs to laptops, netbooks and mobile
device computing struck fear into the hearts of desktop PC hardware vendors,
but a new partnership between global electronics vendor LG and desktop
virtualization provider NComputing could completely eliminate the need for
desktop PCs altogether.
The partnership will create a low-cost, high-efficiency, all-in-one virtualized
desktop solution that integrates NComputing’s X and L series desktop
virtualization solutions into LG’s new SmartVine N-series LCD monitors, says
Stephen Dukker, chairman and CEO of
NComputing.
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here for more about the desktop virtualization opportunity for solution
providers.
Much like the desktop PC market, monitor vendors have seen slumping sales and
depressed margins as demand shifts to mobile computing devices, laptops and
netbooks, says Dukker. In the current turbulent economic climate, manufacturers
like LG are searching for new innovations that will keep their products
relevant and in demand, and virtual desktop deployments offer an untapped
opportunity, he says.
NComputing’s desktop virtualization solution includes both a proprietary
hardware access device and Vspace desktop virtualization software. The hardware
piece, which is about the size of a deck of cards, enables a single PC or
server to be virtualized so that many users can tap into unused processing
capacity and share it as if each user were at their own computer.
“LG is integrating the access device into these monitors themselves,” Dukker
says. “So, instead of being a stand-alone, PC-like device, it becomes an
all-in-one computing device, and you just plug your keyboard, mouse and
microphone into the monitor,” he says. The solution will be priced below $200,
and will offer both NComputing’s L series access device, which requires a local
PC connection, and the X series, which connects via Ethernet, Dukker says.
In the United States,
solution providers will have two sizes to choose from in the LG SmartVine
N-series line: a 17-inch and 19-inch monitor, Dukker says. In select other
geographies, a 16-inch model will be available. LG’s SmartVine N-series
monitors can also be used as traditional monitors that connect using VGA, he
says.
The solutions will not only shake up the traditional PC market, but will
significantly broaden the reach of both companies’ solution provider partners,
Dukker says, helping them gain a foothold in the space. LG shipped more than 15
million monitors in 2008, and NComputing boasts over 40,000 virtualized
desktops in use today. With that kind of reach, Dukker says, solution providers
should be able to stake a claim in the market before desktop virtualization
becomes mainstream and the market begins to commoditize.
The new solution will also accelerate the adoption of desktop virtualization
technology, which could signal a major shift in dominance from desktop PC
vendors to monitor vendors, he says.
“Traditional PC manufacturers today think, ‘Why would we want to give up
selling a $500 desktop PC to start selling a $70 desktop virtualization
solution?’” he says. “But they don’t realize that desktop virtualization
solutions eliminate the risk of obsolescence, reduces management headaches and
offers greater margins.
“If PC manufacturers don’t step up, they are going to lose out to monitor
manufacturers who’ve gotten a jump on this market,” he says. “This is a huge
threat.”
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