Maker of original "
disposable computer", the $399
eTower266, which debuted in November, 1998, just in time for the
Christmas rush. The company has produced a new line of computers every quarter since then, always remaining within the world's top 10 PC vendors.
While the hardware may not be state-of-the-art, the eMachine computers are a great deal for computer newbies or people (like myself) who want a second computer but aren't ready to spend a lot. Early on, the biggest drawback of the low-end models is that there are only 2 PCI slots and 1 ISA slot, and no AGP; but the newer models all provide an AGP slot (so you can actually use the system for gaming), a CD burner, a NIC, a modem, and at least 3 PCI slots and 6 USB ports.
The bottom line is that for someone who just wants a computer for web browsing, there's almost no reason to pay more than $400. It remains to be seen whether eMachines can make a profit and survive long-term, but for now it's a hard deal to beat.