IBM NetVista
| Company type | Brand |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware, Software |
| Founded | April 1996 |
| Defunct | May 2004 |
| Fate | Discontinued; replaced by ThinkCentre (personal computers) |
| Products | Personal computers, Thin clients, Software suite, Internet appliance, Kiosk hardware |
| Owner | IBM |
NetVista serves as a collective brand for a range of products developed by IBM.
Software suite
Launched in April 1996, the IBM NetVista Software Suite was designed as a client–server architecture, with server components running on OS/2 and client software compatible with Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. Aimed primarily at the K-12 educational market, it included a web browser, internet filtering capabilities, and various networking utilities such as a TCP/IP stack. From version 1.1 onward, support extended to servers operating on Windows NT. The software suite was phased out in January 2000.
Available versions:
- NetVista V1.0
- NetVista V1.1
- NetVista V2.0
Network station
In April 2000, IBM renamed its Network Station thin client lineup to IBM NetVista, incorporating associated software solutions. These thin clients were equipped with processors like the Cyrix MediaGX running at 233 MHz and featured connectivity options including Ethernet and USB 1.1. The product line was discontinued in April 2002 without any successor.
Hardware models:
- NetVista N2200 series (N2200, N2200e, N2200i, N2200w)
- NetVista N2800 series (N2800, N2800e)
- NetVista N70
Software offering:
- NetVista Thin Client Manager V2R1
Kiosk
Hardware offerings included:
- NetVista Kiosk Model 120
- NetVista Kiosk Model 150
Appliance
The NetVista Internet Appliance i30 allowed users to access the internet through their television sets and was marketed as an OEM product to internet service providers rather than sold directly to end-users.
Hardware model:
- NetVista Internet Appliance i30
Personal computer
The IBM NetVista personal computer series succeeded the IBM PC Series, debuting in May 2000 alongside the ThinkPad T and A lines. The series was retired in May 2004 and replaced by the ThinkCentre family.
Initial models featured the white or beige cases characteristic of the late 1990s; beginning in 2001 with the A21 series, the design shifted to black enclosures—a style that continued with ThinkCentre systems.
Product categories included:
- A Series (processors: Pentium III, Celeron, Pentium 4, AMD Athlon):
- A10, A20, A20i, A21, A21i, A22, A22p, A30, A30p, A40, A40i, A40p, A60, A60i
- M Series (focused on manageability):
- M41, M42
- S Series:
- S40, S40p, S42
- X Series (all-in-one form factor):
- X40, X40i, X41 – designed by Richard Sapper