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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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[***][6/26/84][***]
FRANKLIN BANKRUPT:
Franklin computer filed for bankruptcy (6/22) blaming its demise on
its $2.5 million copyright settlement with Apple Computer, and "a
general softness in the computer industry." The company statement
also claims Franklin couldn't compete with Apple's agressive
price-cutting. The Chapter 11 document, filed in Philadelphia, says
Franklin has $33.9 million in assets but owes $22.8 million. Franklin
also claims it's having trouble getting disk drives for its new "CX" line of
computers slated for a September release. President Joel Shusterman
had announced a day earlier that 160 of the firm's remaining 275
employees would be laid-off. The bankruptcy also follows a major
management shakeup that just two weeks ago saw Morton David take over
as Chairman. (At that time Shusterman was quoted as saying, "We now have
a team, structure and product strategy that is well-tailored to our
growth plans." It was a week in a dog's life!) Meanwhile, a Franklin
spokeswoman says the company's network of dealers will remain intact
to provide service to Franklin Computer owners.
----
CONTACT: SUSAN GAUFF, PR
FRANKLIN COMPUTER
PENNSAUKEN, NEW JERSEY
609-482-5900
----
[***][6/26/84][***]
IBM ADVANCER:
California Technology Stock Letter says IBM is ready to introduce the
PC-2, PCi and "Popcorn" computers. The PC-2, says Jim McCamant, uses
the Intel 80286 microprocessor and is "multitasking", meaning it can
do several jobs at once. McCamant says the code-named "Popcorn",
another multi-user system priced at $10,000 will be released in
October. The PCi will be a stand-alone, single-user version of the
PC-2, priced at $6,000. Also, he says, look for a new PCjr with a
real keyboard and more memory by mid-August. There's also "Crackerjack",
a lap portable under 10 pounds with an LCD display, micro-floppy drive
and bubble memory "which may or may not see the light of day." On
the subject of new operating systems, McCamant says there's the
"Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria", three systems that will run not only
PC-DOS but "guest" programs possibly designed for IBM's new computers.
----
CONTACT: JIM MCCAMANT OR MICHAEL MURPHY
CALIFORNIA TECHNOLOGY STOCK LETTER
SAN FRANCISCO, CA.
415-982-0125
----
[***][6/26/84][***]
THE SEVEN DWARFS:
Selling "it's stability", AT&T is slowly leaking info on its new computer
which will be formally announced this week. The New York Times says AT&T's
Model 6300, made by Olivetti, will have the same operating system, floppy
drive and screen configuration as IBM, but will run 30 to 80 percent
faster. No word on price comparisons. Among the other "Me Too" IBM
followers, IT&T announced price cuts of up to 24% on its minicomputers.
Columbia Data Products joined Corona and Eagle in cutting prices, as well.
Seequa Computer Corp. is expected to announce price cuts this week. This
leaves only Compaq and Otrona as the only major IBM-compatible makers
which haven't followed IBM's price-cutting lead. IT&T, by the way,
is beginning volume shipments of its "Xtra" computer, mostly to
Computerland stores.
----
[***][6/26/84][***]
CHARLIE'S POPULARITY:
Seequa, Otrona Corp., Corona Data Systems and Fortune Systems and even
Apple Computer are all twisting the "Little Tramp" Charlie Chaplin in
their direction at the expense of IBM. The IBM-compatible computer
makers are publishing ads that have the Charlie Chaplin figure telling
lies or turning away from IBM. In Fortune's ad, Chaplin is pictured
from behind with fingers crossed saying, "..and trust me, when your
information needs grow you can connect your PCs together," in reference
to IBM's non-existent networking protocol. The L.A. Times says the
Chaplin estate has its "hands full warning others that IBM has the license
to use the character." Herb Jacoby, representing the Chaplin estate
reportedly has written 75 warning letters to companies using the tramp.
----
CONTACT: HERB JACOBY, ATTORNEY
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
----
[***][6/26/84][***]
INTEL'S COOL 256K CHIP:
Hoping to beat out Japanese competition, Intel has introduced a CMOS
256K RAM chip which runs cooler and with less power than conventional
chips. Japanese semiconductor manufacturers already have several 256K
chips on the market but haven't succeeded in making a similar CMOS
(complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) chip. Analysts expect the
new Intel chip to be an important money-maker for Intel and for IBM which
owns 20% of Intel and will get first-crack at the new technology. The
CMOS 256K chip will appear in the new PCjr in July.
----
CONTACT: INTEL
SANTA CLARA, CA.
408-987-8080
----
[***][6/26/84][***]
CHIP SCAMS, CONT.
Chip-makers are posting record profits but money can't buy Defense
contracts. Don Hoeffler's "Microelectronics News" reports Advanced
Micro Devices and Raytheon are being scrutinized by a federal grand
jury for alledged chip-testing fraud. During the inquisition, they
won't get government contracts. Fairchild, National Semiconductor,
AMD and Precision Monolithics have also been ousted from contracts at
various times during the last three years.
----
CONTACT: DON HOEFFLER
PACIFIC GROVE, CA.
408-625-4090
----
[***][6/26/84][***]
APPLE SHORTAGE:
Demand for MacIntosh computers exceeds supply according to Apple
President John Scully, who spoke to attendees of Future Computing's
San Francisco conference last week. The supply problem is due to
operating problems at Apple's $20 million automated MacIntosh plant
in Fremont, Ca. Scully says several production lines have frequently
been shut down due to "low quality components" from suppliers.
Dealers say they're just now receiving peripheral drives for the Mac which
were due to be delivered May 9. In addition, a technical manual on
"Pro-DOS" is long overdue. Meanwhile, Future Computing's Joseph
Currie says Apple had a 42 percent market share in May, down from 47.6
percent in March. He predicts the MacIntosh and IIc computers will
bring up Apple's share in the next quarter.
----
[***][6/26/84][***]
VICTOR DATING AGAIN:
Both Applied Computer Techniques and Victor Technologies are claiming they
were the ones who broke off merger talks. Either way, ACT's exit from
the negotiations (which were announced March 9) means bankrupt Victor
has the green light to proceed with other talks. "Victor is in
intense negotiations with an undisclosed company," said Gary Cohan,
Victor Vice President who adds the talks with ACT were cut off at the
request of the creditors' committee.
----
CONTACT: VICTOR TECHNOLOGIES
SCOTTS VALLEY, CA.
408-438-7000
----
[***][6/26/84][***]
PHONE TAPPER ARRESTS:
It was a week of phone-fun in California. The biggest news came from
TRW Information Systems which reported someone broke into the computer
which controls credit histories of 90 million people, and stole a password.
The password was then posted on a bulletin board. TRW says the lifted
password came from a Sacramento, Ca. Sears store. TRW couldn't immediately
trace the unauthorized burglar but Newsday, a Long Island newspaper,
reports its "underground" sources say they know who is responsible and
add that person intends to use the information to cash in on previously
stolen credit cards. Meanwhile Tom Tcimpidis, a Los Angeles BBS sysop
whose computer and equipment was seized by the FBI in May won't be charged
with a felony violation. Agents say his board published a Pacific Bell
credit card number and two Sprint codes. Tcimpidis may suffer
misdemeanor charges and claims he didn't know the numbers were there.
Also in Saratoga, California, the young operator of the Split Infinity
bulletin board system had his computer carted off by the local Sheriff's
Department last week. Pacific Bell charges he allowed posting of notices
about the making of pipe bombs, shoplifting, and how to bypass the
phone company's billing system.
----
[***][6/26/84][***]
BRIEFS--
-VISICORP'S (San Jose, Ca.) Terry Opdendyk, 36, resigned as president
of Visicorp. Opdendyke says he's going to pursue other opportunities.
Dan Fylstra will take over and claims Opdendyke "was not a scapegoat"
for the company's falling software sales and layoffs.
-SOFTWARE GUILD (Union City, Ca.) filed for bankruptcy (6/14). A
prepared statement says the company will "pause and reposition" itself
in the software industry. The company distributes 200 software programs
through SOFTSMITH CORPORATION, which is also affected by the Chapter 11
proceeding.
-IBM is the subject of another antitrust investigation by the Justice Dept.
It wants to know if the settlement of the trade secrets theft case with
Hitachi and Fujitsui is unfair.
-IBM is the top selling computer worldwide according to research by
Intelligent Electronics Europe of Paris. The study, priced at $750 says
by the end of June, IBM will have an installed base of 200-thousand
units.
-DIABLO SYSTEMS (Fremont, Ca.) lays off 300 production workers on
June 29. The printer manufacturer blames "a very competitive
marketplace" for the layoffs. Diablo is owned by XEROX. The
layoffs amount to a third of the workforce.
-ITEL CORP. (San Francisco, Ca.) will offer other bankrupt companies
consulting and computer services. This is a bit ironic because Itel
itself went bankrupt in 1979 after the failure of its hardware
leasing business.
-A ROBOT SHAKEOUT?? It would seem to some that the mechanical men
are few and far between but not so according to a Prudential-Bache
analyst. Laura Conigliaro in Detroit predicts competition will
"kill off" 50 of the 60 robot manufacturers by 1990. She predicts
the biggest growth area will be vision systems. It's "growing like
it's been shot out of a cannon."
-CHOCOLATEK (San Diego,Ca.) hopes to make a killing with its chocolate
chips. The confections, molded into the shape of a giant peripheral
board, will appear in department stores by the end of June, priced
at $42 a pound.
-
[***][6/26/84][***]
BLUE BLUE BUSTERS:
Columnist John Dvorak says AIBMUGO (Anti-IBM Underground Guerilla
Organization) is soliciting for members. For five dollars you get a
bumper sticker and a button that uses the international stop symbol
over the IBM logo. The group also has a newsletter which Dvorak
quotes as saying, "IBM would dearly love to retard the technological
growth of microcomputers...IBM will force puppet Intel to drag its
feet!" And so on....Want to join? Here's the address:
AIBMUGO
19 FOURTH COURT
HERMOSA BEACH, CA. 90254