Who knows? Who cares? amid the bustle of the Personal Computer Show
The twelth annual Personal Computer Show, which opened in Earls Court yesterday, is not surprisingly an altogether more bustling affair than the Datacom exhibition going on a few miles north in Islington (CI No 1,271). One of the drawbacks of all this activity is that information about the products on offer tends to be more elusive: go to the reception cum information area of one of the 400 stands asking for details about a new product, and you will invariably be redirected – albeit with a winsome smile – to one of the resident exhibitors. That would be fair enough in itself, but what tends to happen next is that your chosen exhibitor will squint up from his demonstration machine and ask if you have tried the information desk. This was true of the Amstrad stand, although to be fair, the fact that it was positioned uncomfortably close to an arcade of boisterous fantasy games and Ocean Software’s Batman game demonstration did not help matters for the firm.
Amstrad woos the dealers
Amstrad, which is going back to its rock-bottom pricing roots in computers, was launching what it calls a fierce price attack on the UK value-added market with 80286 and 80386 personal computers costing UKP750 and UKP1,250 for the basic models respectively. The point of the new PC1286 and PC1386 is that they are building blocks on which Amstrad dealers can then build up a system to suit individual clients. For the entry prices you get either an Intel 12MHz 80286 or 20MHz 80386 processor, 1Mb of RAM, a floppy disk drive, a VGA graphics adaptor, GW Basic programming language, and numerous slots, sockets and connectors for customisation. Using the expansion kit provided, an Amstrad dealer can then build up a system suited for a specific application: for example, a Xenix/Unix file server would incorporate either the 80286 or 80386 processor, the full 16Mb of expansion RAM, a 380Mb hard disk drive, a serial port expansion to drive up to 16 workstations, a 150Mb tape streamer and the Xenix or Unix operating system; a Computer Aided Design or Desk Top Publishing system would use less memory and a smaller disk drive of 180Mb, but would use either the 14 high resolution colour monitor, or the VGA monochrome monitor. It is at this point that the entry prices are seen in their proper perspective, for, ignoring the cost of other optional extras, the inclusion of a 14 VGA monitor has increased the basic figures quoted by UKP450, and the hard disk option adds on another UKP1,300. Brentwood, Essex-based Amstrad is, however, confident that the flexibility offered by the systems, which are immediately available, will be a guarantee of their popularity especially with dealers.
Atari launches Stacy portable
Talking of popularity, further down at Atari’s gargantuan plot, minor pop figures and forgotten TV personalities (don’t ask!) were wheeled out for the presentation of a new personal computer, the Atari ABC 286, which with 1Mb of memory and three expansion boards comes in at UKP600. A 30Mb hard disk configuration costs UKP800, and a mono monitor for either is another UKP100 on top. Also introduced was a new laptop, specifically for MIDI – Musical Instrument Digital Interface enthusiasts, freeing the user from carting around a box and monitor to each destination. The ST-compatible Stacy system uses an 8MHz Motorola 68C000, and with 1Mb RAM, LCD display, keyboard, trackball, battery pack, 3.5 floppy drive, 20Mb hard disk, serial, parallel and RS232C ports, weighs in at 18 lbs, and costs UKP1,300. Around the stands, Commodore was making noises about its Unix machine that has been promised for eons according to a spokesperson the UK operation now has development versions, and a launch is planned over the coming months though whether this is the 68030-based 2500UX Amiga machine which was spotted in Canada in May, or the more publicised 68020-based T2500, no-one was sure.
Torech carries a torch for Y Open Top
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Cambridge-based Torch Technology, rather miffed about all the attention that
IXI Ltd and Visix Software Inc have been getting with their respective desktop managers for X-Window, was showing off its own, overlooked offering – the curiously named Y Open Top, which is now available running under the Open Software Foundation’s Motif interface. It costs UKP295 and will run on Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, Apple and Acorn Unix hardware. And Dutch personal computer market leader Tulip Computers says like everyone else – that it is awaiting volume shipment of Intel’s 80486 processor before it can begin major shipments of its own 80486 machine, scheduled for the beginning of next year. The company reckons that when the thing is ready, it will deliver 10 MIPS, and says that it will come with 4Mb RAM expandable to 16Mb, six expansion slots, and will be shipped with a choice of 160Mb, 330Mb or 660Mb drives. It uses the AT bus, though the company has committed to producing an EISA machine in the future. The show runs through to Sunday, 10 to 6.30 today to Saturday, 10 to 5 Sunday – today and tomorrow are trade days, while the kiddiewinkers and lay people of all ages get the run of the show on Saturday and Sunday.
