Sun to unveil cheaper Unix workstation

Sun Microsystems is set to unveil its first Unix workstation priced less than $1,000.

The Blade 100 will compete against powerful Windows-based rivals that have cut into the business computer market.

It will sell for around £690, around half the price of Sun's best-selling Unix models.

"We're taking on the PC market on its home turf with price and performance," said Fred Kohout, director of marketing for Sun's technical-market product group.

Sun holds more than a 60% share of the market for powerful, number-crunching Unix-based systems.

In the past few years, however, more and more businesses started to adopt cheaper Windows-based PCs to run complex applications.