IBM Unveils Its First Network Computer

International Business Machines Corp. on Thursday unveiled its first network computer, one of the first major personal computer makers to deliver the hyped, low-cost computers for accessing the Internet and corporate networks.

IBM’s network computer, a scaled-down PC, will be priced at less than $700, without a monitor. IBM said the new computer, called the Network Station, is the first in a series of network devices it plans and will be out by the end of the year.

It will put IBM among the first computer companies to offer an inexpensive device that will link people to the Internet as well as provide typical applications such as word processing and spreadsheets.

Unlike the devices touted by other companies, including those that access the Internet and use a TV screen for the display, IBM is targeting corporations and corporate networks with its Network Station.

The computer has an IBM PowerPC microprocessor, with a minimum of 8 megabytes of memory, going up to 32 megabytes.

IBM said its Network Station offers more than a “dumb terminal,” the name for the disk-less terminals used to access mainframes.