IBM Corp RS/6000 division general manager Mark claims that RS/6000 sales will, if nothing extraordinary happens between now and then, surpass the AS/400 [in value] next year. Although that includes processors, software and storage across both lines, it doesn’t take into account the AS/400’s on-going leasing revenue. Analysts we spoke to say AS/400 revenue is around $14bn to $15bn – sounds much too high, but then these are the guys that called most sets of third quarter figures hopelessly wrong – $2bn to $3bn of which is accounted for by sales of new processors, though in many cases, those figures include disk these days, something that has penetrated few analysts’ consciousness. Meantime, Windows NT does not yet account for 1% of RS/6000’s business. With some distributors already assembling RS/6000s from components, Bregman has already said his aim for next year is to have 60% to 70% of the division’s sales going indirect.
