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Newsbytes - Internationa…ews 1983 May to 1994 June
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Newsbytes - International Computing Industry News 1994 Edition - May 1983 - June 1994 - Wayzata Technologies (5045) (1994).iso
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1984
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1991-10-04
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[***][4/3/84][***]
THE LIFE OF THE PARTY:
AT&T and IBM were the center of attention at Winter Comdex '84 in Los
Angeles this weekend, no surprise since AT&T chose the occasion to
display its new products and IBM to unveil a few. In fact, Big Blue
was the topic of discussion by Egil Julliussen of Future Computing and
Howard Anderson of Yankee Group. Anderson claims Big Blue will move
into the heavily congested home computer market with a vengeance--
offering in 1987, for instance, a telecommunications terminal for home
shopping, banking, and other services. Between the IBM-CBS-Sears teletext
venture and IBM's move into software, Anderson claimed, "IBM is on its
way to becoming a $100 billion company." The show, meanwhile, has
attracted about 20-thousand people.
----
CONTACT: HOWARD ANDERSON
YANKEE GROUP
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
617-542-0100
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[***][4/3/84][***]
THOSE NEW PRODUCTS:
IBM expects to expand the already phenomenal success of its PC by offering
up several new word processing programs that are improved versions of
"Displaywriter". The New York unveiling also included a $429 color
monitor for the PCjr. What did not appear was a much-awaited local
area network system. Analysts are saying that's coming soon, and will allow
PCs to communicate with older IBM machines in the office market.
Some speculate the company is still having technical difficulties
putting the hardware and software together.
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CONTACT: IBM
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
212-407-6942
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[***][4/3/84][***]
MORE IBM:
The Los Angeles Times' Paul Richter says IBM is working on plans to
make new products that can't be copied. If true, this means many
IBM-compatible computer makers won't be privy to the design and language
specs for IBM products, which currently make it easy for them to manufacture
computers and peripherals of similar design. IBM denies all of this, but
one must look at the company's new aggression toward IBM-compatible
products. A suit against Eagle recently forced the company to stop
programming in IBM language. A similar suit forced the same fate on
Corona Data Systems.
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CONTACT: PAUL RICHTER
LOS ANGELES TIMES (dated 4/2/84)
LOS ANGELES, CA.
213-972-7000
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[***][4/3/84][***]
SPEAKING OF CLONES:
Commodore is the latest to enter the IBM-compatible marketplace,
announcing this week two business computers, one of them portable, at
a computer trade show in West Germany. Commodore says it will market
the machines under the Hyperion label. The portable "prototype" on
display had 256K and one built-in floppy drive. The company says
the machine will be available in the U.S. next year and will be
priced lower than a comparable IBM computer. The announcement ends
speculation that Commodore was working on an IBM-compatible (it
received permission last month to manufacture Intel's 8088 chip,
the brains of the IBM PC). Commodore also unveiled four printers
for VIC-20, Model 64, and the expected "264" computer, as well as
a new "Commodore 16" computer that has 16K and will be priced under
$100. No word as to why Commodore, with this cheaper, little product,
is treading on the blackened soils of Texas Instrument's demise.
----
CONTACT: COMMODORE INTERNATIONAL
WEST CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA
215-431-9100
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[***][4/3/84][***]
ATARI LAY-OFF:
Another 250 employees got their walking papers this week as Atari closed
the books on all manufacturing in California. In a prepared statement,
James Morgan said, "Atari had to come to terms with what's best
for the entire company." Atari's coin-op game division has become the
last manufacturing operation to pull up stakes and move elsewhere. The
coin-op division will move its manufacturing to a plant in El Paso, Texas.
Atari's other products are currently being made overseas. The layoff brings
total Atari employment to 2250. In January '83 Atari had 7000 workers.
Spokesman Bruce Entin says the actions will save the company at least
$5 million a year. Atari will maintain its headquarters and R&D in
the San Jose-Milpitas area.
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CONTACT: BRUCE ENTIN
ATARI
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
408-745-4142
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[***][4/3/84][***]
PERFECT LAYOFF:
What's happening at Perfect Software? Last week the company officially
said 11 people were laid-off (out of a staff of about 65) but insiders
say closer to 25 people got "canned" without notice. Several sources say
the Thorne/EMI deal is not running smoothly. Thorne was expected to
buy the company for $10 million this week. Buck Lindsay, CEO, says the
company's just consolidating and denies any deal with Thorne/EMI collapsed.
----
CONTACT: BUCK LINDSAY
PERFECT SOFTWARE
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA
415-527-2626
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[***][4/3/84][***]
PREPPIE APPEAL:
Hewlett Packard wants a piece of Apple's action on campuses. It's
beginning an all-out attack to sell HP computers to college students
at Stanford University. Students will be able to get the new HP 150
touchscreen computers at 45% below list price--a cost of about $2,200.
Called the "Microdisk" program, HP is in direct competition with Apple
on this campus, where students must now choose between a discounted
Mac or a discounted HP.
----
CONTACT: ROY VERLEY
HEWLETT PACKARD
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA
415-857-4225
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[***][4/3/84][***]
A DAY IN COURT:
Remember Mark Austin, the bright UCLA sophomore who made headlines last
November by tapping into the Defense Department? He's being arraigned
this week (April 10) in a Los Angeles Municipal Court. Free on a $2,000
bond since his arrest Nov. 2, Austin has plead innocent, saying "I didn't
know I was breaking the law. No one ever warned me." If convicted
Austin faces up to six years in prison.
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CONTACT: CLIFTON GARROTT, DEP. DISTRICT ATTY.
LOS ANGELES, CA.
213-974-3611
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[***][4/3/84][***]
PIRACY LEGISLATION:
A California Assemblyman proposes this state be the first in the nation
to enforce prosecution of software pirates. Rep. Gray Davis of L.A.
told a Comdex audience that the software industry in California loses
$140 million each year to pirates and the legal documents bound up with
each legitimately sold program are flatly ignored. He wants to put teeth into
those documents and proposes they be as legally powerful as the copyright
laws affecting books and films.
----
CONTACT: REP. GRAY DAVIS
STATE CAPITOL OFFICE
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
916-445-4956
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[***][4/3/84][***]
WAR ON CREDIT CARD FRAUD:
AT&T is taking dramatic measures to stop the increasing numbers of illegal
credit card calls. Special computer programs are now alerting phone
company employees when a charging limit is exceeded on any one card account.
AT&T says credit card thievery amounted to $100 million in losses last
year. The new crack-down comes as AT&T has sent 47 million credit cards
to customers. The new format of the cards is supposed to stop some of
the illegal activity--there are now 11 numbers on the card, and "the
odds of matching an 11-digit number" said one AT&T spokesman,
"are astronomical."
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CONTACT AT&T COMMUNICATIONS
SAN FRANCISCO, CA.
415-788-6483
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[***][4/3/84][***]
PIE IN THE FACE PART II:
With creditors wincing and Pizza Time execs hopeful, a bankruptcy judge
has given the first step in his approval for Sente Technologies'
proposed sale to Bally Manufacturing Corporation. Creditors said
the $3.9 million offer was too low for Sente Technologies, the arcade
division founded by Nolan Bushnell. Pizza Time, which went bankrupt
last week, wants to unload the troubled division in hopes of paying
back some of its $108 million debt. The creditors, however, have much
of the final say on whether the sale goes through, and right now they're
so angry that they're not talking.
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CONTACT: PIZZA TIME THEATER
SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA
408-734-8731
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TONY ZERTUCHE, PRESIDENT (A CREDITOR)
TOUCHE MANUFACTURING CO.
SAN JOSE, CA.
408-998-5460
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[***][4/3/84][***]
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS SPEAKS:
..But will anyone listen? Well, the company certainly hopes so because
this week shipments started for voice-activated command systems
for use with all MS-DOS software (IBM). Essentially the systems
allow users to bypass any keyboard command once the system is programmed
to recognize the user's speech. The speech command board will be priced
at $2,600. Analysts say the systems will intially be viewed as
"gimmicks" because of their high price tags, but when the price comes down
Texas Instruments may very well be talking money.
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CONTACT: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS
DALLAS, TEXAS
214-995-3481
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[***][4/3/84][***]
IN BRIEF:
Maybe a little less brief, but this week's lineup includes--APPLE COMPUTER,
which introduced an interface card that gives Apples the ability to
communicate with IBM mainframe networks. Called the Apple Communications
Protocol card, it, and accompanying software retail for about $1,000.
--APPLE also sold its research into hard disk drives to SONY CORP OF
AMERICA for an undisclosed $$$$. Sony plans to sell the technology in
America.--IBM bought another 1.4 million shares of INTEL, bringing its
total holdings to 20 percent of the company. --COMPAQ COMPUTER has
formed a new subsidiary dedicated to advanced telecommunication equipment.
COMPAQ TELECOMMUNICATIONS will be based in Dallas. --KAYPRO is
bundling dBASE II Data Management System with all Kaypro 4 and 10
computers, based on a new agreement with ASHTON-TATE of Culver City, Ca.
--HEWLETT PACKARD cut the price of its HP3000 computers by $3,600 to
$18,600, a move designed to make it competitive in the office-automation
market.
--OMNILOGIC of Santa Monica has designed a $165 home-banking
terminal which will be sold to banks. The Personal Banker System 1000
weighs a pound, has a 2-line LCD, 8K and an internal modem.
--MAGNUSON
COMPUTER SYSTEMS of San Jose, which has filed for bankruptcy, plans to
sell all its assets, pay off $1 million in debts, and dissolve.
MAGNUSON then becomes part of STORAGE TECHNOLOGY CORP. MAGNUSON, which
once made computers that directly competed with IBM was ultimately crushed
by Big Blue.
----