Motorola Inc’s panic to preannounce its new 68040 microprocessor in March so as to upstage Intel Corp’s announcement two weeks later of the 80486 has rather backfired, and the likes of Hewlett-Packard Co and Arix Corp, which wanted to rush out products using the new part are having to hold their fire. Motorola didn’t make any firm promises, but suggested that samples would be available this quarter and that products using the 68040 would be out by year-end. Now, reports Computer Systems News, the company says that products using the part will be available for display, but perhaps not ready to be shipped, by the year-end.
