Following in the footsteps of its competitors, Standard Microsystems Corp has cut the price of its EtherPower 10/100 Fast Ethernet PCI network board by 40% and is now claiming to offer the cheapest prices on the market (CI No 3,102). Intel Corp last week announced 40% price cuts on its Fast Ethernet network adapters and a 20% reduction on its Fast Ethernet Print Servers, a move that was quickly followed by 3Com Corp (CI No 3,101). The Hauppauge, New York-based company, which provides network chips and boards for scaling, managing and connecting local area networks says that suggested retail prices will start at $81 per board and $200 per port. Last year the company announced its Connect 100 Strategy with the intention of committing itself to provide comprehensive and cost-effective Fast Ethernet networking systems, and believes that a reduction in costs will speed up the migration towards Fast Ethernet as the preferred choice for desktop users.
