Company Overview

Gateway, Inc., has made a name for itself by offering PCs at reasonable prices via direct sales over the phone, over the Internet, and in Gateway stores. In the late 1990s, the company’s future looked bright. But then the bottom fell out from under the PC market, and Gateway had to scramble. In recent years, the company has searched desperately for ways to increase business. It’s tried promotions like buy-one-get-one-free desktop PC sales and expanded its stores’ offerings to include plasma TVs. When its business continued to founder, in 2004 it closed its retail stores and acquired eMachines, a rival PC maker with large existing distribution channels in major electronics retailers. It has also dumped its folksy cow mascot. Today you can find Gateway computers in retail electronics chains like Best Buy.