IBM Corp yesterday duly launched its new ThinkPads and ValuePoints, with the ThinkPad 755 Series, successor to the ThinkPad 750, the ThinkPad 360 Series, and the 730T Tablet variant for pen computing headlining the launch. The ThinkPad 755 Series includes local bus video, built-in microphone and greater storage. It comes with either a 10.4 thin film transistor active-matrix screen – in very short supply, and a 9.5 dual-scan passive-matrix screen. It is available with either the the 75MHz/25MHz 80486 DX4 or the 50MHz/25MHz DX2. Memory goes to 36Mb and disk to 540Mb – 810Mb in July. The ThinkPad 360 Series offers an 8.4 active-matrix colour screen model, with two 9.5 dual-scan passive-matrix colour models, one pen-based, and a monochrome model. They use the 33MHz 80486SX with up to 20Mb memory, and the same disk as the bigger ones. ThinkPad users can mobilise Lotus Development Corp’s cc:Mail electronic mail for the Advantis Network radio to send messages anytime, anywhere to anyone in more than 90 countries, backed by IBM’s around-the-clock service and support. The ThinkPad 755 and ThinkPad 360 Series feature IBM’s pop-up keyboard, providing direct access to removable modular components – hard and floppy drive and hot swapable NiMH battery – and changing them as easily as packing a briefcase. IBM PC Direct catalogue pricing for the ThinkPad 360 Series begins at $2,000 with 4Mb memory. The new Performance Series ValuePoint models use anything from the 33MHz 80386SX to the 100MHz/50MHz 80486DX4, have 64-bit graphics on the motherboard using S3 Inc’s Vision864 graphics chip; a SelectaBus feature for choice of VESA local bus or Peripheral Component Interconnect; a four device IDE drive; and Plug and Play. And in Europe, the company announced the PS/2 76i/77i models. And IBM also announced price cuts of up to 25% on some models in the ValuePoint line, including the Pentium-based P60/D and the entry-level Si Series. The P60/D with 60MHz Pentium, 16Mb, 1Mb video RAM and 424Mb disk now costs $3,170. The 80486SX-based 6381-W50 with 4Mb and 212Mb disk is now $945.
