Shoestring budgets have apparently caused stress Visual’s engineering department, delaying development of the so-called 14LE, a heavily redesigned next-generation descendent of the 64 OSDX, the very first X-terminal to make it to market. The low-end 14LE was supposed to be a highly competitive, if low-margin replacement for the company’s current 14 line, regarded internally as only a short-term tactical measure. Due out last month it seems it won’t now make it out until later this year, and Visual has also had trouble delivering two models of its high-end colour line in volume because of bugs in a programmable oscillator chip, a key component coming from an outside supplier that enables Models 11 and 12 to be unbundled, a prime selling point. Braca, who for the time being is dividing Reitano’s responsibilities with executive vice-president Jerry Burke, a Hambrecht man on Visuals’ permanent staff, says the restructuring will entail a complete reappraisal of the company’s current and future products, where the margins are, and how they are sold, perhaps resulting in a refocus on OEM agreements such as Visual has with Kubota Corp, Stardent Computer Inc and Syvision Inc and a de-emphasis on distribution, which may still be a premature market.
