Zona Research Inc, which has been keeping a wary eye the Network Computer market, and before that tracked X-terminals, says there is no single definition of a Network Computer in the marketplace. Users and potential purchasers have a very ambiguous definition of what a Network Computer actually is. Key purchasing criteria indicates that application acquisition cost is a far more compelling factor than hardware and administration based on cost of ownership. Zona reckons that about 383,000 Network Computers were sold this year, the bulk of them (372,000) for application delivery. It projects that in the year 2000 there will be close to 6.8 million of them sold, two-thirds of which go for application delivery. Zona believes that next year 1.7 million will be sold, 1.3 million for application delivery. In 1998 the figures will be 2.6 million out of a total of 3.4 million and in 1999, 3.5 million out of a total of 5.5m. Zona is based in Redwood City, California.
