Multimedia technology is to play a decisive role in IBM Corp’s strategy of polishing up the image of the AS/400. IBM’s multimedia plan for the AS/400 should begin to be put in place next year, with code being developed and entered directly from a client personal computer. Mark Even, manager of IBM’s AS/400 Division in Rochester, Minnesota, said that giving the AS/400 a complete collection of multimedia tools will take two or three years of development work. Third party software developers may be commissioned to create AS/400 bridges. The plan has not passed without criticism. Teresa Elms, president of Elms Information Services Group in San Diego, told Computerworld that there was no need for multimedia on the mid-range computer, IBM merely wants to point out that the AS/400 can handle all the things Unix systems can. Mark Peterson, director of market research at ADM Consulting Inc, Cheshire, Connecticut is already forecasting poor sales from AS/400 Multimedia Production next year.
