AST Research Inc has launched its new Premmia range of high-end personal computers for the corporate market (CI No 2,118), which it claims are better systems than either IBM Corp’s or Compaq Computer Corp’s. The Premmia family is intended to replace the existing Power Premium line, which currently makes up 30% of AST’s UK turnover. According to corporate sales manager Neville Street, AST has not suffered in any way as a result of the personal computer price war. Rather, it has benefitted from focussing on what it does best, and has learned from past mistakes that it cannot charge a premium on its products – if you live by price, you die by price, Street believes. The secret of AST’s success, he claims, is that it designs, engineers and manufactures its own products, and then sells them at a competitive price via resellers, which add software and value-added services. It is is definitely not a clonemaker, Street added, and believes in keeping overheads low, employing 4,000 staff worldwide. And the proof of the pudding is 40% revenue growth worldwide year-on-year. In 1991, turnover rose to $944m from $688m the year before, and forecasts for the 1992 fiscal year to June is for around $1,300m.

Phenomenal

In the UK, however, revenues increased by a phenomenal 88% in 1991, following major contracts with Hambros Bank, Glaxo Pharmaceuticals and the Hong Kong & Shangai Bank. And Street is sure that the Premmia range can only build on this success. In his opinion, it is unique in terms of security and upgradability. Firstly, the family can be upgraded from an Intel Corp 80486 processor to the soon-to-be-released Pentium chip, as AST has participated in the Intel OverDrive Ready programme. This enables it to build a 238- pin ZIF socket, which will house OverDrive Processor technology, into Premmia machines. Second, AST has enhanced the security of its new range by such items as the so-called ‘Walk-n-Lock’, which enables users to pre-set a time-frame after which the machine will automatically shut down. A password must then be entered to start the system up again. The user can also lock out his floppy disk drive or input-output port, if the computer’s log-in count indicates someone has been using it illicitly. Finally, a network administrator can identify a particular computer via user-defined asset tags and factory-installed serial numbers stored in read-only memory in the machine’s motherboard, so as either to monitor or upgrade the box over a network, using FlashBIOS. FlashBIOS enables the image of the new BIOS to be flashed across the network. Each machine is subsequently updated when a user logs on. Other appealing features, according to Street, include personality modules, which integrate Ethernet on the motherboard, eradicating the need for an EISA slot, optional cache memory modules, and a Local Bus video subsystem. The subsystem is claimed to provide a 200% improvement on the graphics speeds of Power Premiums, in a Windows environment. The Premmia range comprises three models of 4/33s and 4/33 machines, all coming with 4Mb of RAM. There are also three versions of 4/50d and 4/66d boxes, which have 8Mb of RAM. Prices range from UKP1,500 to UKP3,250, and each machine has an EISA input-output bus and five drive bays. In addition, two serial ports, one parallel port, one PS/2-compatible mouse port, keyboard port and IDE drive interface are all integrated onto the motherboard to save on expansion slots. All products are available now.