IBM is widely expected to add an 80486-based Model 90 and a 33MHz 80386-based Model 75 to its Personal System/2 line shortly – possibly on September 12. Among those tipping the new machines is Marty Winston of Fort Worth, Texas-based public relations outfit Winston & Winston. He reckons that both will be tower configurations, with the Model 90 looking like a MicroVAX. He expects it to be clocked at 30MHz, but others say it will be 25MHz. The motherboards, he says, feature SCSI socketed firmware ready for upgrade when the SCSI B standard is introduced, and he also looks for a new video standard with 4,000 by 4,000 by 256 colour virtual screen and a new 2,000 by 2,000 by 256 display. He also looks for the new machines to feature Micro Channel buses running at 80Mbytes per second, and he is among those tipping the Intel 80160 RISC chip being offered as a plug-in co-processor. Other sources look for the Model 90 to be offered primarily as a server, and to sell for $14,000 to $15,000, while the Model 75 is expected to start at about $8,000.
