Gateway said this friday that it will offer $100 mail-in rebates on its namesake 300SE and 500SE desktops and its Solo 1450SE notebook, dropping prices to $599, $699 and $999, respectively.
The deals will be available via its Web site and promoted by a new ad campaign that targets back-to-school PC buyers.
With many PC makers increasingly using rebates and promotions (Dell"s "Dude! You"re getting a Dell" promotion), Gateway"s new $100 rebate now shifts the Solo 1450SE notebook into the sub-$1,000 range and, the company hopes that with the new $100 rebates, that these offerings makes it more appealing to back-to-school buyers.
Gateway is also using the rebates to increase pressure on its competitors - in particular Hewlett-Packard and eMachines, two big retail PC sellers, and Dell, its direct-sales rival.
- The Gateway 300SE (now $599) includes Intel"s 1.4GHz Celeron processor, 128MB of RAM, a 20GB hard drive and free upgrades to a CD-Rewritable drive and a 17-inch monitor. The machine usually includes a CD-ROM and a 15-inch monitor.
- The Gateway 500SE (now priced at $699) adds a 1.8GHz Pentium 4 but is otherwise configured the same as the 300SE.
- Gateway"s newly discounted Solo 1450SE (now at the sub $1000 mark - $999) notebook includes a 1.3GHz Celeron chip, a 14.1-inch screen, 128MB of RAM, a 20GB hard drive and a DVD drive.
- Also included is the Gateway 1450LS, which offers a 15-inch display and combination CD-RW/DVD drive, for $1,199 after a rebate.