Corel Continues Romp Through Microsoft Territory

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While not a win as large as previous announcements, Corel certainly scored Monday with a deal that puts its WordPerfect
Productivity Pack on Gateway computers.

The software alternate to the Microsoft-dominated
application world is increasingly winning over PC manufacturers to put its
Corel product line on machines instead of Microsoft Office applications.

Corel has already signed deals this year with Dell and
Hewlett-Packard to put WordPerfect applications onto its
PCs. The deal with Gateway marks Corel’s entrance into the three largest
PC manufacturers in the U.S.

In the case of all three PC makers, only certain makes sport the Corel
applications. In the case of Poway, Calif.-based Gateway, it marks WordPerfect suite
applications in the series 300 PCs, which is considered by Gateway
executives as an entry-level computer for consumers.HP, on the other
hand, has Corel bundled
into its entire Pavilion line of home computers, which number 69
different makes. Dell has the WordPerfect Suite pre-bundled on certain
Dimension and Inspiron computers.

Corel officials aren’t particularly worried about the limited presence they
have in Gateway computers, and on entry-level machines to boot. For the
company, it’s a foot in the door.

“This alliance enables Corel to introduce a whole new group of customers to
the unique benefits of our productivity solutions,” said Steve Houck, Corel
executive vice president for strategic relations, in a statement Tuesday.

The Corel WordPerfect Productivity Pack includes the WordPerfect (word
processor) and Quattro Pro (spreadsheet) programs, and every instance of
those two applications found in a computer means one less with Microsoft
Office applications.

The company has been making huge strides in recent months to cut into
Microsoft’s dominance in the PC application business, in addition to
cutting deals with manufacturers.

In August, Corel launched a
licensing deal with companies, striking right at the heart of
Microsoft’s subscription-based fees. Where Microsoft Office will be
charged on a per-user basis, Corel’s WordPerfect Suite doesn’t require
volume commitments or an annual fee to upgrade.