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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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[***][12/4/84][***]
MACINTOSH STALLED IN TRAFFIC:
A.C. Fallon of the S.J. Mercury News reports that the "Test Drive a Mac"
campaign is not making much an impression on potential buyers outside of
California. A Michigan retailer told her, "The Macs are a very hard sell.
It's a sorry situation, especially at this time of year." Fallon says
that retailers surveyed in Wisconsin, Texas, Massachusetts, New York and
Connecticut have the same blues, despite the fact that Apple is promoting
the test drives with a multi-million dollar ad campaign. The only exception
to the rule appears to be in California where BusinessLand stores are
enjoying a booming overnight Mac rental business with "three out of four
people who try the Mac actually buy it."
[***][12/4/84][***]
THE DOUBLE NAME SWITCH:
From Ashton-Tate to Ziff-Davis, David Cole has found a new home as president
of the magazine company which publishes 11 computer magazines. Cole has
a publishing background and is apparently relishing in the fact that he's got
$712.5 million with which to play around now that Rupert Murdoch just bought
a dozen of the company's "other" magazines. Ziff-Davis is investigating the
possibility of daily, electronic publishing at this point, but nothing is firm.
Said one Ronald Posner, a vice president and director at Ashton-Tate, "david
has big plans and big dreams." Meanwhile, it's been suggested that Mr.
Ziff, himself, is very ill and called for the sale of the 12 other
magazines himself. Just why, isn't certain. As for David Cole's old company,
it expects to report a record $1.8 million in earnings for the fiscal third
quarter, crediting much if it to strong sales of dBase III and Framework
software.
CONTACT: ZIFF CORP.
NEW YORK CITY
212-503-5501
[***][12/4/84][***]
MORE FATES:
James Fawcette has become the new "editorial director and assistant publisher"
of InfoWorld, replacing Stewart Alsop II, who left in a dispute with the
magazine in early November. Fawcette is currently executive editor of
Personal Computing magazine and will start at InfoWorld in two weeks.
Fawcette's leadership is expected to orient InfoWorld toward business users.
As for Stewart Alsop, he's starting his own newsletter called "Stewart
Alsop's PC Letter" which will be an insider's guide to the PC industry.
His first issue should be available in January and will cost $295/year for
24 issues.
CONTACT: STEWART ALSOP
113 SOMERSET STREET
REDWOOD CITY, CA. 94062
415-364-4175
[***][12/4/84][***]
AT&T GETS TOUGH:
AT&T isn't fooling around when it comes to a print campaign for its computers.
Targeted against IBM, the new print ads say the PC is "half as good" as
AT&T's personal computers and that the PC was fast "way back when." Leading
National Advertisers told the New York Times that AT&T will spend more than
$300 million on ads this year to influence a generation stuck on IBM as the
industry standard. As for the "death star" logo (the white banded globe),
that will stay because consumers recognize the symbol and identify it with
AT&T products, according to a company spokesman.
[***][12/4/84][***]
A JOLLY CHRISTMAS?
One analyst is predicting that high-end computers and mainly Apple computers,
will enjoy the healthiest Christmas sales season ever as people turn away
from low-end machines. Ken Lim of Dataquest (San Jose) says fewer low-end
computers (namely, Commodore and Atari) will be sold this year compared to
last as people opt for more expensive, versatile machines. "People are
now ready to buy in that price range and are becoming aware of what a computer
is and can do and they want a lot more than a video game player," he says.
He adds that people mainly buy home computers for educational purposes and
Apple has "10 times the educational software of any other manufacturer."
[***][12/4/84][***]
DIGITAL DELI:
A homey, friendly celebration was held at Oakville Grocery Store in San
Francisco last week to herald the release of "Digital Deli", a new book
from Workman Publishing Company, Inc. of New York City. Dozens of the best-
known names in computer journalism contributed to this lively, illustrated
book about the people, situations and anecdotes that built the computer
industry. Among those attending the gala affair was Paul Lutus, the inventor
of Applewriter software, who came out of the woodwork from his seclusion
in Oregon to talk about the new "3-D" software he's developing. The
software will display split-screen displays and you have to wear special
glasses to see the 3-D effect! The book costs $12.95 and would make a
GREAT Christmas/holiday gift for the computer enthusiasts on your list.
"Digital Deli" is available at selected bookstores, or by writing:
CONTACT: WORKMAN PUBLISHING COMPANY
1 WEST 39TH STREET
NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10018
or: NAN HOTENSTEIN
SAN FRANCISCO, CA.
415-989-7355
[***][12/4/84][***]
YOW, LOOK OUT:
Here comes a Defense Department supercomputer factory. The center is
expected to be built in Prince George's County in Maryland and will compete
with the so-called Fifth Generation Japanese computers. The Defense
Department will spend $12 million to design the structure and promises
to spend a lot more than that to build computers that are 10-thousand times
faster than today's mainframes. That's all we know about this...
[***][12/4/84][***]
HITACHI LEAK:
Whether it was intended to be leaked or not, at least the world knows now.
Hitachi is widening the Japanese market in semiconductors by building a
single chip, 32-bit microprocessor "vastly more powerful" than current
chips. The chips will be shipped in 1987. Only Motorola is currently
shipping 32-bit chips (the 68000 series) and is tossing off the report
as if it isn't worried. Until now, Hitachi has manufactured 4, 8 and 16-
bit chips.
[***][12/4/84][***]
TI GOES AT:
Computer and Software News reports that Texas Instrument is putting the
finishing touches on a PC/AT-compatible computer due out in February.
The 32-bit machine is directed by the Motorola 68020 microprocessor and
will reportedly run MS-DOS, Unix, CP/M 80 and CPM/ 86 software. CSN adds
the new computer should cost $4,200.
[***][12/4/84][***]
IN BRIEF--
HIPPOPOTAMUS SOFTWARE of Sunnyvale, Ca. has announced the availability of
"Hippo-C", a C-compiler for the Macintosh. Complete with added features
and documentation for programmers, the package costs $149.95.
JOHN SCULLY has the most lucrative salary of all California's 100 biggest
companies, according to a report in California Business Magazine. Just
what the Apple CEO earns wasn't said, but just that in addition to his
earnings he got a $1 million "signing bonus."
MEXICO has allowd IBM to build a microcomputer manufacturing facility
provided that it uses 50-percent Mexican-made components. The Wall
Street Journal says an erroneous Reuters report had said that Mexico
denied the request. The official announcement is due Wednesday (11/5/84).
IBM has also agreed to purchase $10 million in data storage systems from
the bankrupt STORAGE TECHNOLOGY of Colorado--this from the December issue
of Computer and Communications Buyer.
Add PRIAM to the laundry list in the disk-drive shakeout. PRIAM of San
Jose, Ca. has stopped building the 504 disk drive and expects to take a
$8 million write-off as a result.
More bad news. FAIRCHILD CAMERA AND INSTRUMENT CORP. of Mountain View, Ca.,
a maker of semiconductors, laid off 30 more employees last week. Fairchild
is not only undergoing a reorganization in order to switch to production of
a 16-bit chip numbered the "9450" but also suffered from the suspension of
a Defense Department contract recently.
APPLE has alligned with Addison-Wesley publishers to develop training and
instruction manuals. The new venture is called The Apple Press. A-W
is expected to increase the distribution of Apple's paper products.
TANDY users may want to know the parent company of their magazine,
called Portable 100 has just been purchased by Computer Communications of
Camden, Me. Professional Computing magazine, which publishes Portable
100, also prints an Epson-user's magazine called "Epson World."
We're all looking forward (right?) to the premier of "2010" next week.
Meanwhile, keep in mind that Kaypro computers assisted Arthur C. Clark
in his collaboration on the screenplay. He used a Kaypro 2, which had
been donated to the Sri Lanka Foundation to exchange electronic mail with
the producers.
[***][12/4/84][***]
FURNITURE EXPO:
Have you had it with trade shows? Well, here's an unique one. The
Computer and Electronics FURNITURE Show will be held at the San Mateo,
Ca. Expo Center on March 24-26. "Styles range from warm Early American
to sleek contemporary lines--from knock-down to hand-rubbed finishes --
from bedroom furniture for children (?) to desks with motor-driven
compartments for concealing computers. Contact: National Fairs, San
Francisco. 415-474-2300
[***][12/4/84][***]
LOVE, NOT WAR:
Tom Snyder Productions (not the TV talk-show host) of Cambridge, Mass. will
introduce a game (no computer specified yet) called "The Other Side."
Inspired by his watching "The Day After" on ABC this year, Snyder says his
game is a "global conflict resolution" program for kids that teaches
cooperation rather than rivalry. BusinessWeek reports that in initial
tests in junior high schools, kids just wanted "to blow each other up"
while playing the game. His program is still unique in that it is
designed to be played by two remote partners via modem (ala Wargames).
He will sell it for $80.