Undaunted what happened to Escom AG, Germany’s leading stand- alone personal computer maker and retailer Vobis Mikrocomputer AG has become the surprise new licensee for the Digital Equipment Corp Alpha RISC. Billed as a scientific machine capable of generating three-dimensional graphics and other complex images used in research and video special effects, the Highscreen Alpha 500 costs $3,530. It uses a 500MHz Alpha 21164 processor and of course runs Windows NT. Vobis hopes to sell it to graphic artists or small companies that buy computers from stores like those in its 300-outlet Vobis chain. At the other end of the scale, the company launched the Highscreen PC/TV, which is a television set with both cable television and personal computer ports so that it can double as a monitor, stereo sound and 26 screen. Vobis does 72% of its business in the German market, and has been hurt by the stringent moves to reduce the German budget deficit ahead of the single currency dampening consumer spending.
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