Vobis Microcomputer AG has indefinitely delayed its formerly aggressive plans for a PowerPC Windows NT-based machine. Back in March, the German manufacturer was promising an own-name PowerPC Reference Platform PowerPC machine for a little lower than an equivalent Pentium box (CI No 2,374). It was intended to be delivered by the end of the second quarter. Vobis caught a bad cold earlier in the year with a line of RISC personal computer based on Digital Equipment Corp’s Alpha processor, an experience that has put it off PowerPC. As a candid spokesman put it: We fell flat on our faces. The machine was too expensive and there was a lack of supporting software. Summing up the dilemma of all RISC system manufacturers, the Mnchener explained that there was hardly any native software, so you could have your MS-DOS or Windows applications running; but no faster than on a decent Intel PC. Vobis is keen on the idea of having personal computers based on non-iAPX-86 and Microsoft Corp technology, but it is now taking a generally more cautious approach. It is an approach which means that there is now no date for the introduction of a PowerPC-based machine saying, we will definitely wait until the high market acceptance is there. They had no comment on the suggestion that they will be taking a licence to Mac OS, other than to say that Power Macs are not selling very well from their stores.
