In a betthecompany revamp of its product line, the Compagnie des Machines Bull SA subsidiary Zenith Data Systems dumped its curr-ent personal computer portfolio yesterday and replaced it with 40 new models. It currently estimates that it holds about 8% of the portable computer market and 2.5% of the desktop market, but by next year it wants to get portables above 10% and desktops to at least 4%. There are 19 high-end desktops called the Z-stati-on series, which are priced to retail at from $1,800 to $4,000. Highend servers are expected to go for $4,400 and $4,700 and the new Z-note notebook-sized lightweight portables, launched in the US in April, will go for $2,600 and $5,300 and include Ethernet port. A new Z-sPort notebook series will include models at from $2,200 and $3,400. The desktops will be upgradable to the 80586 when it arrives. The company, which has slashed its workforce by 1,800 to 2,400 over the past 18 months, expects only to break even this year on sales of at least $1,000m it lost money on $1,000m of business last year. In addition to the OEM portables business with IBM Corp, Zenith said it had an OEM agreement with a major European company on the new machines. Zenith is tipped to account for 20% of Bull turnover this year, and the aim is get it to 40% by 1994; Zenith will follow its parent out of ACE.
