IBM Corp yesterday duly launched its first Zenith Data Systems machine, the PS/Note Model N45 SL and cut prices on many PS/2s in the US. The N45 has a 25MHz 80386 SL processor with 64Kb cache, 2Mb of 80nS memory expandable to 8Mb, 2.5 80Mb or 120Mb disk, 3.5 floppy, 10 32 grey-scale gray-scale VGA LCD, 82/83-key keyboard, serial port, parallel port, keyboard-mouse port, external VGA port, rechargeable battery pack and AC adaptor. It weighs 6 lbs 14 oz, measures 12.4 by 8.3 by 1.8 thick and costs $2,300 with 80Mb now, $2,500 at the end of the month; it will run OS/2 with memory upgrade. In recognition that OS/2 is memory hungry, IBM is also making 8Mb standard on the PS/2 56 SLC, 57 SLC and M57 SLC; OS/2 comes pre-installed on the first two, and with the third. At the high end of the line, the PS/2 Model 90 XP 486 is cut 25% to from $4,500. The PS/2 Model 70 with 80Mb disk is cut 24% to $2,785. A 40Mb disk drive for any PS/2 is cut 42% to $290; the 80Mb disk is now $425, a cut of between 43% and 60% – it was more expensive for some models than others. The 160Mb disk drive is now $725, a 42% reduction. The 400Mb drive is now $2,165 – but formerly cost an outrageous $3,125. And you don’t have to pay only the $3,000 to $4,000 that a high-performance 80486 machine costs – you can pay IBM $11,300, which buys a P75 Model 496-401 with 400Mb disk drive which is cut 15%. The PS/2 Model 95 XP 486 server is cut 15.3% and costs $19,165, which may still sound steep.
