Silicon Graphics Inc duly launched its Hollywood low-end multi-media workstation yesterday, calling the machine Iris Indigo and putting a tag of just $8,000 on the three-dimensional graphics machine. The Mountain View, California company rates the machine, built around the 33MHz version of the R3000 RISC designed by MIPS Computer Systems Inc, at 30 MIPS, and claims that it is the fastest machine available for under $10,000. The $8,000 price includes a 16 colour monitor but no disk drive, and the machine can play compact disk-quality sound and record speech with a microphone. The Indigo is an earnest of Silicon Graphics’ intention to move into the mass market, and a precursor of the machines the company’s will build as a result of its leading position in the Advanced Computing Environment and its relationship with Compaq Computer Corp. Adobe Systems Inc reports that a version of its Adobe Illustrator program will be available for the Iris Indigo next year. Silicon Graphics licensed Adobe’s Display PostScript system in October 1990 and the Indigo is the first Silicon Graph ics workstation to support the technology.
