Deal collapse may skew Sun graph

Sales at Sun Microsystems Corp, already under pressure, could take a further hit from the collapse of IBM's multibillion dollar bid.

The failure of the high-end computer and software company to sell itself might drive customers to its rivals - International Business Machines Corp, Hewlett-Packard Co and Dell Inc - say consultants.

"I would hate to be in the Sun sales organization at the moment," said Eric Johnson, director of the Center for Digital Strategies at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business. "Pretty much every corporate client is going to ask them: 'Are you going to be here next year when I need help from you?'"