Slimmer Computers Introduced

Two computer makers this week introduced sleeker, more expensive personal computers that eat up less desktop space. The products from Gateway and Packard Bell NEC all hide the hard drive and other components behind a flat panel monitor, giving the machines an unusually slim “footprint.” Gateway’s new Profile will start at about $2,000 and is aimed at business users. Packard Bell’s Z1, which won’t be available to retail buyers until this summer, starts at about $2,500 and is aimed at consumers. For Sacramento-based Packard Bell, which has lost hundreds of millions of dollars in the last few years, the new model stands in stark contrast to its standard line of cheap, low-profit PCs, which helped drive consumer prices down.