Reports: Vizio Expanding into PC Space with AIOs, Laptops

Vizio, the company behind the successful and affordable line of HDTVs, is allegedly looking to apply the same strategy to the PC market. Can inexpensive PCs shake up the channel and the PC world as a whole? Here are some ideas …

Reports are coming in from both Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal that Vizio is all set to enter the PC market. Its primary target? Consumers who traditionally have bought home PCs from vendors such as HP and Lenovo. According to Bloomberg, Vizio will release all-in-one computers with “24-(inch) or 27-inch screens,” which are similar to iMacs, with the guts of the computer stashed behind the screen. Vizio also has plans for 15-inch and 14-inch laptops, which apparently will be “ultra-thin.” Its offerings will be priced affordably — though the actual prices have yet to be announced — and all Vizio computers will ship with special software that communicates with other existing Vizio products to allow quick and easy streaming of audio-visual entertainment.

How does that factor into the channel? Consider how Vizio’s line of products could compliment the SMB environment. Vizio has an authorized reseller program (interested folks can sign up here), and with LCD screens, tablets and now PCs under its wing, Vizio easily could play a commanding role in complimenting any kind of SMB deployment. Boardrooms need big-screen TVs with streamlined connectivity for slideshows or other multimedia; desks need computers; and mobile employees need tablets.

We’ll definitely keep an eye on Vizio, especially since it’s been a while since any non-PC company has tried to  re-invent — much less break into — the traditional PC market.