Gateway on Tuesday started taking preorders for PCs with Windows XP, as the company looks to get a jump on competitors.
The PC maker will begin shipping the systems to customers in late September, Gateway spokesman Brad Williams said. Although Williams would not give an official ship date, PC makers earlier had pegged Sept. 24 as the date when Microsoft said they could begin selling computers with the Windows XP operating system.
On Tuesday, the company began offering in-store demonstrations of the new OS, but not of the PCs that will run it. "It's the same demo that Microsoft has on its Web site," Williams said.
Analysts had mixed reactions to Gateway's expectation that XP will help improve sales.
"I do see the Country stores as an advantage because Gateway can allow people to touch and feel it, which is always a good thing before they purchase," ARS analyst Toni Duboise said. She described the preorder as "a good marketing ploy."
News source: CNet News
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