IBM's Rumored System i Power6 Server Plans
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

Now that the first Power6-based server has been launched by IBM--one bearing the System p 570 label and largely based on the existing design of the p5 570 using Power5+ processors--the OS/400 and i5/OS community is naturally beginning to wonder what IBM has in store for them when it comes to Power6 technology. Aside from talking very generally about processors over the past year, IBM has been pretty mum to the press about its plans--for obvious reasons. READ MORE >

IBM Tries Online Discounts to Move Server, Storage Gear
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

There is always a tension between direct sales and indirect sales among IT vendors, and it is a difficult tightrope to walk. Not every acquisition by an IT manager should involve a lot of human interaction, particularly now that the Web is a decade old and people are well accustomed to buying stuff online. IBM had not often given customers big discounts on servers and other gear when bought through its online store or through its telesales operations--the two are actually linked as one these days--but under a deal announced last week, Big Blue is giving it a try. READ MORE >

The Market for Servers in Europe Is Hot
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

Last week, the box counters at IDC and Gartner provided their quarterly estimates of global server sales by server type, operating system, and vendor. But IDC also went the extra mile and provided some insight into server sales in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In what must seem like something of a dream for server makers, Europe is going strong right now. READ MORE >

Mad Dog 21/21: Missing Inaction
by Hesh Wiener

IBM, which is neck-and-neck in the server trade with Hewlett-Packard, formerly made typewriters, disk drives, printers, and personal computers. Over the past two decades it shed many of the products it used to manufacture, by continued to grow by creating a huge services group and absorbing a number of software companies. Except for its typewriters, none of the products IBM dropped have disappeared, the way DB Cooper, Jimmy Hoffa, or Judge Crater vanished. Today, IBM still manufactures some servers and storage devices, and perhaps it doesn't have to manufacture anything at all. READ MORE >