SUN SHATTERS INDUSTRY PRICE BARRIER WITH FIRST 64-BIT WORKSTATION AT $995SUN SHATTERS INDUSTRY PRICE BARRIER WITH FIRST 64-BIT WORKSTATION AT $995Software Developers and Engineers Can Develop-and-Deploy on Powerful Entry-Level 64-Bit, 3D Platform at PC Price Points
PALO ALTO, CA -- February 27, 2001 -- Sun Microsystems, Inc. is changing the playing field once again with the introduction of the new Sun Blade 100 workstation, the first ever 64-bit workstation priced under $1,000. With significantly better performance--at about half the cost--the Sun Blade 100 workstation is expected to provide customers with the ideal follow-on to Sun's Ultra 5 2D graphics workstation, the world's best-selling UNIX workstation. The announcement of the Sun Blade 100 workstation coincides with the unveiling of the Sun Expert3D-Lite graphics accelerator board, the newest member of Sun's professional-level graphics line. Together, they bring full 3D functionality to a new price point for 64-bit workstations. Additionally, the recently announced SunPCi II coprocessor card puts a complete Windows PC inside the Sun Blade 100 workstation. A user can run applications on both the Solaris Operating Environment and Windows simultaneously--at native speed--so there is no need for two separate computers on a single desktop. This saves money as well as desktop real estate. "Sun set the price/performance bar in 1998 with the Sun Ultra 5 workstation, and now we're doing it again with the Sun Blade 100 workstation," said Fred Kohout, Director of Marketing, Technical Market Products Group at Sun Microsystems. "We're taking on the PC market on its home turf with price and performance. We're not only offering Unix users a great new workstation, but we are also giving PC users the last bit of incentive they need--a better price--to move over to our more powerful 64-bit Solaris Operating Environment." The new Sun Blade 100 workstation sits well in the industry's entry-level market. HP's lowest-priced 64-bit system is about five times the price of the Sun Blade 100 workstation's $995 price tag(1). And when it comes to heavy lifting, the 64-bit Sun Blade 100 workstation's 2 GB of memory is double the capacity of the 32-bit Dell 220 PC. Based on the recently announced, highly integrated 64-bit UltraSPARC IIe 500 MHz processor, the Sun Blade 100 workstation offers the robust Solaris 8 Operating Environment and workstation-class features, including 64-bit architecture, 2 GB memory and professional-level 3D graphics capabilities (see related press release issued today at www.sun.com) for a range of markets, including software development, EDA (electronic design automation), financial services, entry-level MCAD/MCAE (mechanical computer-aided design/mechanical computer-aided engineering), education/research and digital content creation. "The Sun Blade 100 workstation with Sun Expert3D-Lite graphics should open new doors in markets which previously could not afford to develop in a UNIX environment," said Kara Yokley, Workstation Research Analyst, IDC. "Sun Microsystems' strategy to offer 64-bit UNIX workstations at 32-bit PC prices has slowed the migration of technical users to Windows NT and helped Sun maintain its number one position in the UNIX market." Also announced today (see related press releases issued today on www.sun.com) are two promotional bundles targeted for software development and digital content creation (DCC). The Sun Net Effect Development Stack offers the ultimate development platform with a SunBlade 100 workstation and a comprehensive set of software development tools for $3,495. And for the DCC world, Sun Microsystems and Electric Image plan to offer a complete 3D animation promotional package, featuring a Sun Blade 100 workstation with a Sun Expert3D-Lite graphics board and Electric Image's Universe animation software, for as low as $2,995. Providing Workstation-Class FeaturesThe features of the new Sun Blade 100 workstation include:
Price & AvailabilityPrices for the Sun Blade 100 workstation begin at $995. This entry configuration is exclusive to web orders placed within the U.S. It features the 64-bit, 500 MHz UltraSPARC IIe processor; Solaris 8 Operating Environment; 128 MB RAM; 15 GB hard drive; Sun PGX64 onboard 2D graphics with 8 MB SGRAM; 48X CDROM; and a highly integrated I/O, including 10/100 Ethernet, four USB ports, and two IEEE 1394 digital video "firewire" ports. The Sun Blade 100 workstation will be available in volume worldwide on Feb. 27, 2001. Customers can order directly from Sun or through Sun's traditional sales channels. Customers ordering preconfigured systems via the web (go to: www.store.sun.com) can get four-day delivery in the U.S. About Sun Microsystems, Inc.Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision - The Network Is The Computer -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW), to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that power the Internet and allow companies worldwide to dot-com their businesses. With $17.6 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 170 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://sun.com.
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