Those drastic price cuts instituted by Univel Inc last week (CI No 2,128) are being seen as response to the nervousness engendered by Microsoft Corp’s Windows NT, the most threatening vapourware ever to descend on the market. NT entered its second round of beta testing last week but could still miss its targeted June 30 shrinkwrap deadline, and remains officially unpriced. Like a cat with its prey, Microsoft has been toying with its competition, threatening to hang a predatory $100 introductory price on the stuff. It has talked vaguely of pricing the NT client somewhere between $200 and $500 and the NT server somewhere under $5,000. However, it has also recently suggested a tag of only $1,000 for the server. Microsoft is also figuring on almost immediate street discounting, since it will push NT through retail channels like the Egghead Inc chain of stores. Apparently spooked, Univel cut its prices, attempting what it called a pre-emptive strike. It claimed, perhaps hollowly, that NT had yet to impact its business. However, both its UnixWare client-side Personal Edition, now $250, and its Application Server, now $1,300, are immediately affected. Software Development Kits have been cut 40% to $600. Microsoft’s have been going at $70.
