This article is more than 1 year old

Gartner Group susses out how computers are sold

Breakthrough after 22 years of hard study

Market research company the Gartner Group has finally figured out the way the computer industry works.

Gartner has been watching the business for 22 years, but we figured it had to spot the trick sooner or later. And, sure enough, after a study of the application server arena, it has cottoned on.

Says Gartner vice-president and research director David Smith (no relation): "The application server vendors are encouraging customers to purchase higher-end technology that they just don't need."

The computer business pushing punters to buy kit they don't need? Never... Pentium 4, anyone?

Yet, says Gartner, companies have spent around $1 billion more than they needed to on application server technologies over the last three or four years. And if the group's sage counsel isn't heeded, a further $2 billion will be pissed away on the same sort of kit by 2003.

"Don't let confusion or hype push you to spend more than necessary," warns the release.

Why it's taken Gartner so long to figure out this basic rule of capitalism - it's not just the computer industry that gets up to this sort of thing - we're not sure, but we're glad the company has at last grasped it.

So presumably we can look forward to future releases warning buyers not to splash out on thick, glossy market research studies costing several thousand dollars that they just don't need... ®

More about

TIP US OFF

Send us news


Other stories you might like