Mitsubishi Electric Corp has new 80486 and 80386 models in its Maxy range of AX personal computers: the new range features both desktop and laptop models, including two models of a DT3H desktop (both based on the 25MHz 80486SX CPU) and two models of a DT3 desktop (full 25MHz 80386 CPU), along with four laptops all based on the 20MHz 80386SX, two with thin-film transistor colour screens and two with mono screens; all models support the VGA/H display standard and the new computers range in price from $5,500 to $10,880, with the colour laptops being almost double the price of the mono laptops; Mitsubishi is one of the leaders of the AX standards group, which includes Sony Corp and Sanyo Electric Co, but which, despite offering AT compatibility along with a standard Japanese MS-DOS has failed to meet the challenge of competing successfully with NEC Corp’s all powerful PC-9800 series of personal computers, and is now under threat from IBM Japan Ltd’s DOS/V, an operating system that promises that all standard English-langueg MS-DOS programs running under it will accept Japanese-language input. n i pToshiba Corp has released a version of its J-3100 laptop based on the full Intel Corp 80486 chip, giving it a processing capacity three times that of the previous top-end laptop model: there are a total of four models in two basic types, the J3100GT-XD, with 200Mb of hard disk, priced at $10,800 while there is also an XS model which has a 100Mb hard disk; the four colour models use thin-film transistor screens – no doubt from the company’s joint venture with IBM Corp to develop and manufacture the things in Japan.
