Though it intends to lead with software and services, IBM will also offer several new PCs under the Express banner. The company will sell Express versions of its new ThinkCentre A30 desktop and ThinkPad R40 and ThinkPad X31 notebooks. A ThinkPad R40 289723U Express model will start at $1,399. The machine comes configured with a 1.3GHz Pentium M processor, 14.1-inch screen, 256MB of RAM, a 20GB hard drive, a CD burner, and an Intel 802.11b wireless module. A ThinkCentre A30 819891U model fitted with a 2.4GHz Pentium 4 processor, 256MB of RAM, a 40GB hard drive and a CD-ROM drive. The machine starts at $699. IBM also officially introduced the ThinkCentre A30 family on Wednesday. As previously reported, the PC line starts at $469 and competes with Dell and HP very closely on price. But even with lower hardware prices, IBM will find stiff competition from the likes of Dell. A Dell Dimension 2350 desktop fitted with the same hardware as the A30 model -- but also with a larger 60BG hard drive -- sells for $10 less, according to Dell's small-business Web site. With its PC prices and features matched so closely with competitors like Dell, IBM again is turning to software to set itself apart. The company has begun to differentiate its PCs by installing a suite of software on each machine before it leaves the factory. The software, dubbed ThinkVantage Technology, includes several applications designed to help make IBM's PCs easier to use and to lower the cost of maintaining them, IBM has said. One such application, Rapid Restore Ultra, automatically backs up data and stores it, allowing for a quick recovery if a failure occurs.
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