We suggested in CI No 2,419 that companies such as Compaq Computer Corp held all the aces in the forthcoming convergence of computing and home entertainment, and Compaq thinks so too: the Wall Street Journal reports that the company is preparing a push into the computer electronics, and that one of its prototypes, aimed at children and dubbed Mr PC Head – making it even sound Japanese, has purple feet, a chubby belly, big ears and flat round cap, and includes an 11 lbs portable computer with the capability of a typical Compaq laptop, as well as a stereo, telephone and television. A version for teenagers, designed to look like a tall ghetto blaster is also in the prototype stage. Both would be priced starting at about $600, the paper says. I wouldn’t be surprised if within five years our major competitor will be Sony Corp, says Daryl White, Compaq chief financial officer. If we don’t participate, we’ll be the IBM Corp of the ’90s, he says, noting that the company has been hiring from the likes of Philips Electronics NV, Sony and Nintendo Co.
