Apricot Computers Plc’s new Personal Computer System range made its debut yesterday promising fully functional 80286-based networks at half the present cost. Apricot is making this possible by adding, as standard, a single chip Omninet 1M-bit-per-second local area network controller to its new surface-mount motherboard which, it claims, far exceeds the level of integration set by the IBM PS/2 range. The XEN-i 286 PCs are expected to supersede the existing XEN Xi and XD products within the next couple of months. They are offered with a choice of 30Mb or 45Mb of disk and have 1Mb of RAM expandable to 2Mb on the motherboard, and to or 16Mb using expansion cards, a 10MHz 80286 processor and the NetBIOS-compatible local area network interface incorporating the Corvus Omninet II chip from NEC. Apricot has also introduced the XEN-i 286 Twin with two 3.5 1.44Mb floppy disk drives and 1Mb of RAM. Included in the PC/S range are the diskless VX WS workstation, and the VX AWS, which features a single 5.25 or 3.5 floppy drive. 1Mb of RAM is standard, expandable to 2Mb or 16Mb. The entire range will provide full support for OS/2 when it becomes available in the first quarter of 1988. Apricot’s OS/2 upgrade option comprises the Microsoft OS/2 operating system, documentation and a 1Mb memory module which plugs directly into the motherboard. Apricot simultaneously announced its new network software for the PC/S products. It says that, at UKP795, the VX-NET software package, an enhanced version of Microsoft MS-Net, will allow users to link eight PC/S micros and workstations at minimal cost. A single chip local area network card, at UKP199, is available to allow other users to be connected. The 30Mb XEN-i 286/30 with green monochrome screen is priced at UKP1,999 and the 45Mb XEN-i 286/45 at UKP2,999. There is a choice of 5.25 1.2Mb or 3.5 1.44Mb floppy drives. VX WS workstations cost UKP1,199 and the VX AWS costs UKP1,499 with green mono screen. Prices for the XEN-i 286 Twin start at UKP1,599 for the green mono version supplied with MS-DOS 3.3 and GW Basic. Workstations are available immediately, the AT-alikes in early September. Apricot forecast UK sales of 15,000 AT-alikes and workstations, worth some UKP35m, in the first 12 months of marketing.
