As we look at the VDI landscape, we’ve heard from vendors hoping that each of the past few years would be the “Year of VDI”. Although VDI deployments are on the rise, the endpoints still resemble PCs in a number of ways. Most notably, although thin clients use less power than their fat PC counterparts, they just replace the bigger desktop in favor of of a unit with a smaller physical footprint. They still plug into the wall and, with some exceptions, still require a separate monitor to be connected.
HP is releasing a thin client that changes the paradigm a bit. Dubbed the t410, this new unit is a combination thin client and 18.5” LCD monitor. What sets it apart from the competition is the fact that it can run on power-over-Ethernet alone. So, for 13 watts and a list price of $429, you get a complete endpoint. That’s less than you’ll pay for a full PC and monitor on the best of days. Given that $429 is a list price, it’s likely that there will be some ability to discount.
For environments that do not have PoE, the t410 can use a regular power cord, too.
The t410 can autosense what kind of environment into which its being deployed and works with VMware, Microsoft and Citrix systems.
It remains to be seen how well the t410 will operate in the real world. Will its automatic brightness feature (which is a function of the power its receiving from the switch) be a hindrance or will this product be exactly what the market needs?