Dixons Group Plc, the UK company that is the country’s largest PC retailer, is planning to sell machines costing under 200 pounds ($310) this Christmas to tap into a new group of consumers and boost the operations of its Freeserve ISP, currently being prepared for an IPO. While Dixons has been talking to a number of manufacturers, Microworkz.com, the Seattle, Washington maker of low-cost computers, announced last week it is in advanced talks to distribute its new $199 machine through Freeserve. Dixons has been under pressure after rival Tiny Computers Ltd offered free PCs for customers who signed up for its telecoms services (CI No 3,705).
