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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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V57
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1991-10-04
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[***][7/3/84][***]
GET THIS:
Jack Tramiel, founder of Commodore (but who resigned in January from
Commodore) is about to buy Atari Incorporated according to the Los
Angeles Times. Last we heard Tramiel was forming a venture to market
MacIntosh-like computers in the Far East. The LA Times says intensive
negotiations are underway between Tramiel and Atari's parent company Warner
to sell everything Atari owns except the coin-op division. No prices
have been disclosed but the Times' sources say Atari could be sold for
as little as $50 million, what with its expected second quarter loss of
another $100 million. This story could change this week. I'll post an
update if it does. This interesting aside from the LA Times: Tramiel
is a survivor of the Auschwitz death camp who emigrated to the U.S. in 1945.
He began Commodore Business Machines 22 years ago; it was set up to sell
typewriters.
----
CONTACT: ALBERTO CRIBIORE (said to be involved in negotiations)
WARNER COMMUNICATIONS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
----
[***][7/3/84][***]
AT&T FIGHTS DOUBTING THOMASES:
"We intend to be the best in the marketplace," AT&T's Information Systems
Chairman said (6/27) as the company's first micro was unveilved in New
York. As expected the $2745, MS-DOS machine is made by Olivetti and would
be generally unremarkable except for the strength of the company behind it.
The micro holds 128K of RAM, has a monochrome display and uses an Intel
8086 chip--faster than IBM's 8088. A 256K version with a hard disk drive
retails for $4920. The most attractive feature may be the AT&T's PC
ability to function as a local area network that can link up to as many
as 1920 other computers. The marketing for the new machine is well underway
and distribution deals with ComputerLand, Sears and MicroAge have been
signed. Also look for AT&T's Phone Center stores to sell the new micro.
----
CONTACT: PHIL HAFF, PR
AT&T
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
212-393-1000
----
[***][7/3/84][***]
MEANWHILE, IBM..
..introduced two new versions of its PC. The $9-16-thousand dollar
computers are designed for graphic design. The units are reportedly
being introduced to "test the waters" of the CAD/CAM market and will
compete with such firms as Computervision and General Electric for
professional graphic applications. The micros are intended to work
with larger, mainframe computers.
----
[***][7/3/84][***]
SUPER CHIP FROM MOTOROLA:
Motorola claims its new 32-bit 68020 chip is the fastest on the market,
twice as fast as National Semiconductor's 32-bit chip. Motorola's
announcement (6/28) is considered significant because its new 68020 is fairly
compatible with its 68000, the "brains" of Apple's MacIntosh, and programs
which are now based on the 68000 could, with modification, also use the
68020. The chip also employs CMOS technology which runs cooler and with
less power than traditional chips. Its performance is considered so
dynamic that few, if any personal computer makers are immediately ready to
use it. Analysts expect it to appear in computers at least a year or
two from today. Among those eyeing it, according to sources, are Apple and
IBM.
----
CONTACT: GARY TOOKER, EX. V.P.
MOTOROLA CORPORATION
SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS
----
[***][7/3/84][***]
EAGLE LOSES FEATHERS:
Plagued by serious debts and a price-cutting war with IBM, Eagle's
Ronald Mickwee tossed off six more top-ranking executives' resignations
with the line, "We didn't need all that brass." Resigning were the Vice
President of Finance (William Glynn), a venture capital partner (Robert
Loarie), the Senior V.P. of Marketing (Gary Kappenman) and three members
of the board of directors. Meanwhile, there's another nail in the
company's coffin. A class action suit has been filed against the company
by a group of investors who claim Eagle failed to disclose "certain facts"
about its first public stock offering.
----
CONTACT: RONALD MICKWEE, PRES & CEO
EAGLE COMPUTER
LOS GATOS, CA.
408-395-5005
----
[***][7/3/84][***]
MCGRAW HILL WEDS FUTURE COMPUTING:
McGraw Hill seems bent on getting a monopoly on information. With the
acquisition of Future Computing, the publishing firm gets its hands on
first-hand marketing research. No price was put on the purchase but
a statement made by Joseph Dionne, McGraw-Hill's president, says the
purchase "complements McGraw Hill operations serving other segments of
the computer field." The publishing company owns "Byte" and "Popular
Computing" magazines, Datapro Research and Osborne/McGraw Hill, publishers
of computer books. Egil Juliussen is to become vice chairman, replaced
by Richard Miller, president of McGraw-Hill Information Systems.
----
CONTACT: FUTURE COMPUTING
RICHARDSON, TEXAS
214-783-9375
----
MCGRAW-HILL INFORMATION SYSTEMS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
----
[***][7/3/84][***]
TWO PORTABLES TROT OUT:
Both Epson and Applied Computer Techniques offered new portable computers
this week. Epson's $1000 portable is dubbed the PX-8. It runs CP/M
based programs and unlike the previous Epson portable with a 4-line X 20
columns display, this one has an 8-line display X 80 columns. Several
programs are built into the unit. In London, ACT unveiled a portable
"Apricot" which is a weighty 15-pounds and will cost $1,400. Due to
be available in late September, the IBM-compatible machine needs to be
plugged into a wall outlet and does not carry its own batteries (!). On
the plus-side, Apricot's "F1" has a cordless keyboard, a mouse and a
speech recognition unit capable of storing up to 4,096 words. The LCD
display is 25-lines X 80 columns. It can also hold 10 megabytes of
information.
----
CONTACT: APPLIED COMPUTER TECHNIQUES
SANTA CLARA, CA.
408-727-8090
----
[***][7/3/84][***]
IN BRIEF--
FUJITSU, Japan's largest computer company, will market its supercomputers
in the U.S. and sell them through Amdahl Corporation. By next year the
supercomputers, capable of highly complex forecasting and math computations,
will be in the U.S. market. There are currently only 100 in use worldwide.
-
GENERAL MOTORS has taken the first steps toward acquisition of Electronic
Data Systems Corp of Texas, launching speculation that car-maker has an eye
toward more than electronic ignition. GM Chairman Roger Smith said it best:
"GM could become the most technologically advanced computer services
company in the world." The deal could cost GM $2.5 billion.
-
LOTUS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION of Cambridge, Ma. has appointed Dan MacMillan
to the post of VP of Publishing. OK, what's he doing there? MacMillan's
background includes successful magazine publishing but Lotus' Chris Morgan,
VP of Communications, won't say what he's doing at Lotus. "We're not ready
to discuss details," he told me.
-
VISICORP lost another executive. Marketing VP Ron Fisher has resigned
effective July 13. He'll become president of Interactive Systems Corp.,
a software firm in Santa Monica. Terry Opdendyke resigned as president
of Visicorp just last week but current president Dan Fylstra says the two
ship-jumpers are "unrelated."
-ADAM OSBORNE'S new book "Hypergrowth: The Rise and Fall of Osborne Computer"
is getting its first public viewing in "InfoWorld". The chronicle is
designed to vindicate its founder and points the finger at Osborne
president Robert Jaunich as the perpetrator of the company's bankruptcy.
-TANDY CORPORATION of Fort Worth took a licking in its last quarter.
Earnings dropped 15%, the first decline since 1978. Tandy's Garland
Asher, financial chief, blames competition from other computer-makers and
a shortage of microprocessors for the company's poor earnings.
-APPLE COMPUTER took a licking on the stock market this week. During the
third week of June shares were selling for $30.63. Last week they were
at $25. Analysts blame investor panic. AT&T's micro caused a few
earthquakes. So did Apple President Scully's announcement last week that
the MacIntosh factory was enduring breakdowns, prohibiting the company
from meeting demand for the computers.
-
THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE is moving closer to anti-hacker legislation.
By a voice-vote on 6/26, the committee approved Rep. Dan Glickman's bill that
makes it a misdemeanor for anyone to raid a computer file that contains
banking, credit or other private histories.
-
NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR lost its bid to get back on the Defense Dept. budget.
In an appeal of the government's ban, National had claimed the ban violated
its previous plea-bargain with the Pentagon. National plead guilty (3/6/84)
to charges of chip-testing fraud. The ban means NSC could lose $83 million
this year.
-
FORMER CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR EDMUND BROWN wants a national computer education
program in the schools, augmented by "five regional centers of excellence"
where study of the relationship between computers & kids can be conducted.
Speaking before a publishing group, the former Governor told reporters,
"The key to restoring our position in the world is to increase the skill
level among the nation's students." Brown says the proposal will be in
Congress next year.