The new AS/400s are the Models C10, C20 and C25, claimed to offer up to 30%, 80% and 120% more performance than the baby B10 – although 36 users going to the B10 have found they need a lot more than 30% better performance. The new machines use IBM’s new 320Mb 3.5 Winchester, but otherwise, IBM seems simply to have wound up the clock. The C10 is $20,250, the C20, $36,470 and the C25, $63,000; 8Mb storage is $12,000 and the 320Mb disk is $5,500. Ships and upgrades from the B models start February 23 for C10 and C20, second quarter for C25. For 9406 users, the 2440 Magnetic Tape Subsystem Model A12 now enables them to use the bottom half of the tape unit rack for a 9332 or 9335 disk, the adaptation is $300 and available in the fourth quarter. The sting in the tail is that IBM has upped the price of the 9404 B models, with the B10 up 1.5% to $19,950 – since that’s only $300 less than a C10 claimed to be up to 30% faster, anyone buying one now would be nuts – and the B20 up 3.7% at $36,470 – same price as a C20; B10 to B20 is up 6.6% at $16,220.
