Hitachi Ltd has launched a personal word processor with a high resolution 60 by 48 dot matrix printer for just $1,600: the thing is called the Word Pal 220, and in addition to being able to print 13 point and 10.5 point fonts, the machine’s printer uses only the top part of a reversible ribbon, leading to a claimed cost saving of 30% on supplies; it features a 9 CRT screen, two 3.5 1.6Mb floppy drives, a 150,000-word Japanese language dictionary, automatic Kata Kana to Kanji conversion, a personal computer communications option and English language word processing; Hitachi says the Japanese market for word processors was 2.15m units in 1987, and should grow to 2.5m this year, with the $800-to-$1,600 range the fastest-growing sector.
