Xerox Corp, which lost its copier empire to the Japanese in the mid-1970s and has spent the time since then seeking and still not finding a role, is next week tipped to try yet again for the big one, this time with its latest attempt at a digital system that combines printing, copying, scanning and sending facsimile messages. According to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, sources familiar with the products said a new line of digital office equipment will be unveiled on Tuesday next week in New York, and suggested that they could be the most significant new office products in decades, at last putting Xerox back into the vanguard of office computer technology. As with the generality of the new multifunction printing systems, the new digital copiers would act as computer printers, receive facsimile messages and scan documents into the computer, operating at the same rate as analog copiers. The machines are said to be modular so that a printer in the new family could be turned into a copier or facsimile machine by adding the appropriate modules. According to Dow Jones & Co, the first generation multi-function office equipment has proved prone to breakdowns, too costly, or too slow.
