Over time, the appliances may also change the profit margins computer makers have grown to expect from server sales. That's why traditional server makers are rushing into the market. That has even nonbelievers dipping their toes in the water. Perhaps, but McNealy says that if the market wants appliances, he'll sell them. He doesn't have much choice.
Many customers swear by appliance servers.
And that's not even the sweet spot for appliance servers. So far, the biggest demand is for storage. Two or three years from now, appliances are going to be a much more mainstream concept that people will have to understand,'' predicts CacheFlow CEO Brian NeSmith. Then, in the age of specialty computing, less will truly be more. The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.