Be Inc, which announced a $360m initial public offering on Friday, is looking to move the Be operating system from its multimedia niche to become the OS of choice for the budding internet appliance market. The Menlo Park, California-based company – which is offering six million shares at $6 each – has already been chosen as the OS provider for Microworkz Inc’s iToaster, a low-cost network computer-style appliance. Be claim that its OS is an ideal platform for vendors requiring a modular, multimedia-friendly internet for a range of devices, from screen- phones and set-top boxes to low-cost PCs. However, the company will face stiff competition from more established vendors such as Microsoft Corp, Apple Computer Corp and Oracle Corp, who all want to get a lion’s share of what looks to be one of the most lucrative emerging markets in the industry. By 2002, International Data Corp estimates that there will be more than 151 million internet appliances installed worldwide.
In its S-1 filing with the SEC, Be says that its internet appliance strategy is to promote BeOS through relationships with OEMs, application developers, consumer electronic manufacturers and internet service and content providers. It currently has relationships with Hitachi Ltd, Fujitsu Computers GmbH and Intel Corp. Internet-based applications running on BeOS include a native web browser, email, file transfer and productivity tools. The company is working with application developers to increase the number of applications running on BeOS, including audio and video mixing, graphics, productivity and gaming software. Swedish company Opera Software has just announced that it has ported its well-regarded browser to the operating system. To raise awareness of the OS, the company is planning to launch a Be Everywhere marketing campaign. Be markets and sells BeOS through distributors, resellers and its Be Depot.com web site and intends to establish agreements with OEMs and internet appliance manufacturers to bundle BeOS with their hardware platforms and devices.
