Newsbytes - Internationa…ews 1983 May to 1994 June/Newsbytes - International Computing Industry News 1994 Edition - May 1983 - June 1994 - Wayzata Technologies (5045) (1994).iso/pc/text/mac_text/1986/v151

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[***][4/15/86][***]
APPLE LOPS DEALER NETWORK:
Some 600 Apple dealers were told last week that, as of June 1,
they are no longer authorized to sell Apple products.  This leaves
some 2,000 current dealers, which Apple says represent 90% of
its sales.  Among those eliminated is the Sears Business Systems
chain of 106 stores, which T. J. Marano, Apple's VP of sales
confirmed were selling "less than 10%" of its products.  Most
of the stores cut are in the Southeast and Midwest.  Meanwhile,
for the chosen 2,000, Apple is offering an "Apple Fund" which
will provide them with $10 million in advertising and marketing
funds.

[***][4/15/86][***]
APPLE TAKES FIRST ACTION AGAINST CLONE:
Claiming "violation of intellectual property rights", Apple
attorneys are stepping up efforts to stop the sale of Laser
128 computers, Apple II family-compatibles imported from
Hong Kong and distributed by Video Technology Inc. of Elk
Grove, Illinois.  Sold from Central Point Software of
Portland, Oregon via mail order, the clones are reportedly
"99%" compatible with IIe and IIc software and sell for
$395 without a monitor.  U.S. Customs officials have
promised to make a final ruling in the next few weeks
regarding whether the clones do violate Apple's copyright
ROM BIOS after giving the machines preliminary approval
for importation to the U.S. last month.  Apple, meanwhile,
says attorney Irving Rappaport, will issue an official
statement in the next 2-3 weeks.

CONTACT:  Irving Rappaport, APPLE COMPUTER 408/973-3719

          David Gish, VIDEO TECHNOLOGY INC., 2633 Greenleaf,
          Elk Grove Village, Illinois 60007 312/640-1776

[***][4/15/86][***]
WOZ LAUGHS AND LAYS OFF:
Steve Wozniak's new firm CL9 just laid off an undisclosed number
of workers.  Among them is the customer service manager and a
sales director.  "We were overspending," said Sam Bernstein,
the company's president.  CL9, whose $20 "Tyron", a remote
control device, has not enjoyed much success in the marketplace,
still plans to release its super-duper remote controller later
this year.  Its premier is scheduled for the Consumer Electronics
Show in June.

Meanwhile, Steve Wozniak is looking for a few good jokes. He's
planning to publish a joke book through Bantam, and is calling
on all for help.  Writing it with humorist Larry Wilde, Wozniak
wants jokes, pranks and funny stories about the electronics
industry.  Got any? Write him at the following address:

CONTACT:  Steve Wozniak, PO Box 636, Cupertino, CA. 95015

[***][4/15/86][***]
OSBORNE VANISHES:
The last of Osborne Computer Corporation hit the auction block on
April 9.  All equipment and inventory was sold to help pay, in
part, a $6 million debt which forced Osborne into bankruptcy
January 31.  Despite the best efforts of the remaining staff,
Osborne failed to overcome its second bankruptcy.  Ron Brown,
Osborne's former president, now a VP at Businessland, had been
among those trying to strike a deal with creditors over the
last few weeks; his efforts apparently failed although NEWSBYTES
could not confirm this at press time.  Brown was unavailable
for comment.

CONTACT:  None.  Osborne's phones have been disconnected.

[***][4/15/86][***]
APRICOT GETS NEW OWNERS:
Apricot Inc., the U.S. based company owned by its British parent,
was just sold to two of its U.S. officers.  William Crouch and
Ian Wallace, reportedly spent $2 million to acquire the money-
losing firm, which last year sold only about 10,000 machines.
When Apricot was originally established in 1984, it was funded
with $20 million from its parent, of which $7 million was used
for an advertising blitz.

The new Apricot, Inc. plans to stay in business and diversify
its sales by distributing both Apricot computers and other
IBM compatible products from third party vendors.

CONTACT:  Pat Meier, APRICOT INC., 47173 Benicia St., Fremont,
          Ca. 94538  415/659-8500

[***][4/15/86][***]
3.5 INCH DISK BANDWAGON CONTINUES:
Both Borland International and MicroPro have announced that
their entire product lines are now available in 3.5" diskette
formats to accomodate the new IBM Convertible.  MicroPro
is offering owners of its current word processing software
on 5 1/4" disks a chance to exchange their originals for
3.5" format at a cost of $20.00 plus materials.  Borland
is doing the same but at a smaller price-- $10.00/disk.

CONTACTS:  Borland International 408/438-8696

           MicroPro International 415/499-1200

[***][4/15/86][***]
SAM AND LEONARD CHAT WITH USERS:
Atari executives Sam and Leonard Tramiel were featured in a panel
discussion on the last day of the West Coast Computer Faire,
marking one of their rare appearances which, as usual, excluded
a press conference.  In the squeezing-room-only gathering, the
Tramiels offered a few hints of things to come.  "Atari will
move aggressively into desktop publishing," said Leonard, who
said several companies are preparing an imminent release of
computer-aided-design products for the ST.  He promised that
the new version of Digital Research's GEM operating system
will not be released for the STs "until all the bugs are worked
out of the system."

Atari also said that the CD ROM player, which was due out last
December, is totally in the hands of KnowledgeSet (formerly
Kildall's Activenture); its release is unknown.  "Atari is
not getting aggressive in CD ROM," Leonard revealed.

He said an 80 column card for the company's 8-bit line of
computers is "almost finished" and will show at Comdex in Atlanta
with production scheduled for late June.  A module which allows
the ST to run CP/M programs, now for sale in Europe, will be
available here "at the end of May."

As for the current financial status of the company, Tramiel
said, "Now everything is organized.  Our finances are very
strong.  We're no longer in hyperdrive, just moving fast."

[***][4/15/86][***]
NEW ATARI ST PRODUCTS:
Two regional vendors have announced new software for the ST--

 - HIPPOPOTAMUS SOFTWARE of Los Gatos, Ca. is putting the
   finishing touches on "HippoVision", a digitizer for the ST
   which, like its version for the Macintosh, reads video
   images and places them into "paint" programs.  A color
   version will be $400 and black and white will be $140.

 - MIRAGE CONCEPTS (that's an ODD name for a software company!)
   of Fresno, Ca. has released "H&D Base", a "dBase II
   workalike".

[***][4/15/86][***]
ENTREPRENEUR'S ALLIANCE SLIPPING AWAY:
The Entrepreneur's Alliance, founded by Nolan Bushnell to nurture
start-ups in Silicon Valley, is on the trail to extinction
following the resignation of its chairman and most of its
directors.  The last meeting for the organization, which
sponosored free counselling, a resource center, group health
and benefits insurance, and other services for members,
was in January and no new meetings have been slated.  300
entrepreneurs joined the Alliance, all of whom kicked in
$190/year in dues.  The phones have been disconnected and
members' only hope is that someone is willing to become
chairman.

[***][4/15/86][***]
SOFTWARE ENTREPRENEURS ORG STILL ALIVE:
One organization that appears to be doing well is the Software
Entrepreneurs' Forum, which features advice, conferences, and
workshops dedicated to helping the small software vendor.
Its newsletter is a guiding light on changing tax laws,
special interest group news, public relations and marketing
techniques.  Annual membership dues are $75.

CONTACT: SOFTWARE ENTREPRENEUR'S FORUM, P.O. Box 61031, Palo
         Alto, CA. 94306  415/854-7219

[***][4/15/86][***]
IN BRIEF--

ALDUS CORPORATION of Seattle, Wa. wants more samples of text
layout created with its "PageMaker" software.  Says Karen
Howe, Aldus' marketing manager, "We give a credit line for
the sample whenever possible so our customers get their name
in print, often all across the country."  You'll also get a
free PageMaker polo shirt for any entry.  For info, call her
at 206/622-5500.

PROPER PUBLISHING of Berkeley, Ca. has announced a new journal
for those who use and manipulate text on computers. It's
called, not surprisingly, "Text in Computers" and will include
research papers, technology updates, book reviews, hardware
and software descriptions, etc.  $25/year.  Contact: 415/
644-0433.

TV SHOW NEWS.....JOHN SCULLEY appears as a guest on "Technology
Investing" (Ch. 48, San Jose, April 22, 9PM), sponsored by
the "California Technology Stock Letter" people....."HACKERS",
a half hour documentary about the heroes of the computer
revolution made by Fabrice Florin, airs April 21 on PBS
stations nationwide.  Some 60 stations have committed to
airing the program.......THE COMPUTER SHOW's live broadcast
reaches Los Angeles as well as Silicon Valley starting
April 22.  LA viewers can pick up the broadcast on Channel
18.  An edited version of the program can be seen Saturday
mornings on Financial News Network affiliates nationwide.

[***][4/15/86][***]
HALLEY WASH-OUT FOR HIGH TECH GUESTS:
Early last week, a host of industry luminaries gathered in the
wee hours of the morning in Monterey, hoping to catch a
glimpse of the fading Halley's Comet.  They paid $1,000
and up for the priveledge, the money being donated to the
educational outreach program of the Monterey Institute for
Research in Astronomy.  Well, despite their best intentions,
David and Lucille Packard, William Davidow (venture capitalist),
Intel Vice Chairman Robert Noyce, Valid Logic Chairman
Jerry Anderson and others, not only got rained-out, but
snowed-out from the view atop Chews Ridge.  All was not
lost however.  The guests dined on wild pig and champagne
and later nested in Clint Eastwood's hometown of Carmel.
Nobody saw the comet, but the school got the needed $13,000.
They can all try again in the 21st Century....



[***][4/15/86][***]
HARRIS CORP. CLOSES LANIER PLANT IN GEORGIA
While Japanese companies fall over over themselves to announce
new manufacturing plants in places like Braselton and Madison,
GA, American firms are leaving in bunches. The latest is Harris
Corp. of Melbourne, FL, which acquired Lanier Business Products
Inc. of Atlanta two years ago. About 128 of the 140 employees at
Lanier's original computer plant in Thomaston, GA will lose their
jobs over the next 6 months as Harris moves production of its
office workstations to the Far East. The Thomaston plant is now
for sale.  Any bets on a Japanese firm buying it?

Harris chief executive John Hartley had predicted earlier that
the company's year-end earnings would drop 25% due to price
competition and sluggish markets.

CONTACT: Mr. Rusty Hall, HARRIS-LANIER, 1700 Chantilly Drive, NE,
         Atlanta GA 30324 [phone]

[***][4/15/86][***]
DCA'S NORDIN, HAYES' HAYES SPEND TIME IN CALIFORNIA
Dennis Hayes got back recently from two weeks in California, most
spent overseeing Hayes' operations in San Francisco. Now DCA
chairman Bert Nordin predicts his company will be buying more
California properties like the recently-digested Forte
Communications of San Jose.  "There's a lot of technology out
there" said Mr. Nordin, a statement with which Dennis Hayes could
find no argument.

Those who feared Mr. Hayes might succumb to workaholism can rest
easy, meanwhile. He was sighted at the company's luxury (marble
tables, swivel chairs, 4 TVs) box in Atlanta Stadium opening
night, talking baseball and politics. (If you missed it the
Braves won 6-0.)

One more Hayes note. The company finally introduced a half-card
1200 baud modem for the IBM PC last week.

CONTACT: Jane Glasberg, HAYES, P.O. Box 105203, Atlanta, GA 30348
         [phone]

[***][4/15/86][***]
VIDEOTEX SKILL SESSION                  *EXCLUSIVE*
NEWSBYTES/SOUTHEAST sat in on a high-level skull session on
videotex this week, which led to some cogent observations about
where the industry stands. First, they hate the name "Videotex".
I suggested "PhonText". No one bit. We'll keep trying.
Send your suggestions to CPA024.

Boston CitiNet is causing lots of excitement. It is nearly at break-
even without charging users 1 cent to sign-on, just phone
charges. Advertisers, at up to $100 per screen, pick up the tab.
Car dealers, real estate agents, even politicians like James
Roosevelt and Joe Kennedy hawk their wares.

Now, guess who's interested in getting into this business? The
phone companies. They're testing the software, pushing the
concept...consultants are looking to RBOCs and long-distance
carriers  to plow money into new, local online start-ups. They
figure if the Baby Bells can afford to buy computer stores,
cellular radio franchises and data network management outfits,
they may throw a few cents at something that can build their core
business.  (MCI and GTE already have made investments here, and
you've already heard of AT&T Mail. Best of all, "There's a
growing realization that the investment has to come on the data
creation side," i.e., editorial products like NEWSBYTES.

CONTACT: @Have Modem, Will Travel, DANA BLANKENHORN, 215 Winter
         Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30317 [phone]

[***][4/15/86][***]
INTERFACE TECHNOLOGIES BRIGHT SPOT IN BLEAK HOUSTON SCENE
Alan Williams of Interface Technologies Inc., maker of the
Lotus 1-2-3 clone "Farsight", says the reverse oil-shock has
hurt programmers--to the point that he dreads Mondays. "There's a bus
that stops here every Monday morning dislodging programmers who
got laid off the previous Friday.  The banks who made bad loans,
the oil companies...all of them." (A few years ago, programmers
wouldn't even RIDE buses.)

Interface opened for business in 1984 and brought out "Farsight"
in February. Mr. Williams says Interface deliberately avoided the
issues of the ongoing Microstuf vs. Softklone visual copyright
suit in its design. "It works like Lotus and doesn't look like
it," he says. " Another thing which came out later was an article
by Mitch Kapor, who indicated he didn't consider any Lotus 1-2-3
Version 1A clones to be competition, because no one had cloned
2.0. That made me think they would gun for anyone cloning 2.0. We
cloned 1A."

As to the company's pedigree. "We've got a bunch of Rice
professors and grad students who found some venture money and a
marketing guy."  Their first product, a development program for
Modula-2, approaches its 2nd birthday and continues to sell well.

CONTACT: Alan Williams, INTERFACE TECHNOLOGIES INC., 3336
         Richmond, Suite 200, Houston, TX 77098 [phone]

[***][4/15/86][***]
QUADRAM'S NEW MEMORY BOARD IS MORE COMPATIBLE
Quadram announced April 11 its new PC XT Expanded Memory board,
the QuadEMS+, claiming 100% compatibility with both the
AST/Quadram/Ashton-Tate memory extension standard and the rival
Lotus/Intel/Microsoft standard. A software switch lets you go
between standards on the board, which takes 64k OR 256k RAM chips
for up to 2 megabytes of storage. A companion product, the
QuadEMS+ I/O, includes a parallel port, serial port with up to 12
addresses and a clock/calendar with battery back-up.

CONTACT: Jane Bator, CAM Group, 4357 Shackleford Road, Norcross,
         GA 30093 [phone]

[***][4/15/86][***]
DELOITE, HASKINS & SELLS PUTS BUSINESS PLANS ONLINE
DeLoite, Haskins & Sells, the New York-based accounting firm, is
putting business plans online through a new service called
Capital Connection. Entrepreneurs pay a minimum of $500,
more if they take up lots of consulting time, putting their
dreams into a network linking over 20 DHS offices around the
country. The main centers are in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago,
Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
Minneapolis, New York, Pittsburgh, San Diego, San Jose, Seattle,
Washington D.C. and Orange County, CA, but satellite offices like
DHS's San Antonio operation can connect to it through one of
these nodes. Money sources are not charged for access.

CONTACT: Jimmy Watts, Deloitte, Haskins & Sells, 6525 The Corners
         Parkway, Suite 114, Norcross, GA 30092 [phone]

[***][4/15/86][***]
PECAN BITS.

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS and Apollo Computer Inc., announced a joint-
venture to bring "next generation" artificial intelligence to the
engineering workstation market.

CONTACT: Sue Metzler, TI, P.O. Box 2909, Austin, TX, 78769 (512)
         250-7111

HONEYWELL has selected Atlanta as one of the first sites to try
out an AI-based air-conditioning maintenance system for big
commercial buildings. The company estimates there are 56,000 such
units in the U.S. Training on the system, called MENTOR, will be
completed in a few weeks, spokesman said.

CONTACT: Bob Ruswinkle, HONEYWELL, 2801 Buford Highway, Suite 285
         Atlanta, GA 30329 [phone]

ARK ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS joined the trend to faster modem boards
with its ARKLINK family of limited distance modems running at
from 600 to 100,000 baud. (The company is best known for
multiplexors.)

CONTACT: Sue Sovine, ARK Electronic Products, 1500 West NASA
         Blvd., Melbourne, FL 32901 [phone].

INFORUM, John Portman's Atlanta high-tech mart, finally changed
the sign in front of its lot. The 1.5 million square foot
building it now officially scheduled to open in 1988, not 1987.

CONTACT: Julia Bircher, INFORUM, Suite 2200, 240 Peachtree St.,
         NW, Atlanta, GA 30043 [phone]

SPRING COMDEX press people had best think of staying over Tuesday
night, April 29. Quadram has announced they're bringing in
Barbara Mandrell, the Braves play the New York Mets at Atlanta
Stadium (someone will be giving away tickets, you can bet) and
DCA has announced the Temptations and Mocha will play its
cocktail supper party at the Marriott Marquis.

CONTACT: Mindy Littman, DCA, 1000 Alderman Dr., Alpharetta, GA
         30201 [phone]


[***][4/15/86][***]
COMPUTIQUE FOLDS TENTS, STEALS OFF     *** E X C L U S I V E ***
In a sad case of "now you see it, now you don't," local retailer
Computique has padlocked its Southland stores and isn't telling
customers whether they will ever see their equipment deposits
again.  NEWSBYTES-LOS ANGELES visited one West Los Angeles store
and found it stripped of all inventory with only the fixtures
and a notice to call the firm's Santa Ana headquarters
remaining.  Contacted in Santa Ana, Computique's telephone
operators referred all calls to company president Tadeusz
Krusiewicz, who refused to speak with the press.

Piecing the story together from various sources, NEWSBYTES-LOS
ANGELES has discovered that on Friday, April 4, trucks from
Computique emptied out the firm's stores under cover of
darkness.  The manager of a neighboring Postal Instant Press
franchise said he was shocked to see the West L.A. outlet
padlocked on the following Monday, since Computique reportedly
had several years left to run on a five-year lease.

Alerted by a NEWSBYTES-LOS ANGELES reader, we interviewed
several former customers of the chain while they peered in the
gated windows of the Wilshire Boulevard store.  Two, who did not
want their names used in this report, claimed that Computique
was holding cash deposits for computer equipment they had
ordered.  At press time, Computique was taking phone messages
regarding refund claims but was not returning calls from
customers, nor was it making any promises of refunds.

So far, Computique hasn't filed for bankruptcy protection, but
it may only be a matter of time.  Company president Krusiewicz
owns the firm's Santa Ana headquarters building and an expensive
5-bedroom house in Irvine, which may be attached by creditors
unless Computique files for Chapter 11 protection.

NEWSBYTES-LOS ANGELES has been anticipating this sort of action
by Computique for some time (NB-L.A. 6/11/85), after we once
observed unmarked vans removing computers from the West L.A.
store at 2 a.m. to avoid California "unsold inventory" taxes.

CONTACT:  Computique, 3211 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, CA 92704
          [phone]

[***][4/15/86][***]
CITICORP/QUOTRON MERGER TALKS RENEWED
Directors of Marina del Rey-based Quotron Systems met with top
Citicorp officials last week to continue their on-again, off-
again merger talks.  Citicorp's $680-million standing offer was
presumably considered inadequate by Quotron management, which
hopes Citicorp will sweeten the deal.

CONTACT:  Quotron Systems, 5454 Beethoven St., Los Angeles, CA
          [phone]

[***][4/15/86][***]
ASHTON-TATE, A ONE-NOTE PLAYER?
Software manufacturer Ashton-Tate claims that the dBase II and
III families of database-management products comprise at least
79 percent of the firm's overall annual sales.  This disclosure
was part of a new 1.3-million share public stock offering the
company launched last week.  In fiscal 1986, the company claimed
sales of $121 million, which yielded earnings of $16.6 million.
Ashton-Tate also markets Framework and Framework II, which some
retailers claim is declining in popularity.  In addition, the
company's MultiMate product line only accounted for five percent
of Ashton-Tate's annual sales for the year.  Perhaps Ashton-Tate
executives should have posters made up that warn "Remember
Visicorp."

CONTACT:  Ashton-Tate Inc., 20101 Hamilton, Torrance, CA 90502
          [phone]

[***][4/15/86][***]
BANK CALLS LOAN TO HELIONETICS
Downey Savings and Loan has sent a notice of default and demand
for collateral to Irvine-based Helionetics.  The high-tech
research and development firm owes Downey Savings $4.57 million
and owes Bank of America $550,000 in unpaid interest payments on
a $10.1-million loan.  Helionetics reportedly borrowed the
millions from Downey Savings to fund its employee stock-
ownership plan, which bought shares for workers at $10 each.
The firm's stock is now trading over-the-counter at $2 per
share.

[***][4/15/86][***]
BEACHBITS

>>>  Besides Ashton-Tate, two other local firms filed with the
     SEC for proposed securities offerings last week.  Ducommun
     Inc. listed its request to offer $35 million in convertible
     subordinated debentures, due in 2011.  And Woodland Hills-
     based Terminal Data Corporation said it will offer
     convertible subordinated debentures worth $7.5 million, due
     in 2001.

>>>  Champagne corks popped in Irvine as Charlton Associates
     shipped its 5 millionth 5 1/4-inch rigid disk last week.

>>>  Sterling Software says IBM will begin marketing its
     Answer/DB Personal Computer Products under the IBM logo,
     and that the line of database management programs will be
     sold in IBM Product Centers.

[***][4/15/86][***]
RON GOLD STRIKES AGAIN
Invariably, publicist Ron Gold's press releases get mentioned in
NEWSBYTES.  Why?  Because Gold is one of the zaniest promotional
writers in the computer industry and ALWAYS finds a way to top
himself.  This week's offering is Gold's spies-like-us
announcement that his Personal Computer Publicity Book will now
list the computer reporters of 45 countries.  The new version of
Gold's press research tome ships on May Day (natch).  "Ron Gold
has been spying on America's computer press for years, now let
him do it to everyone else," says fictional Lee I. Cocacoca in
the release.  By the way, Gold is the only writer known to
NEWSBYTES-LOS ANGELES who uses "slogans" as a verb.

CONTACT:  Ron Gold, n.a., 1341 Ocean Ave., Suite 366, Santa
          Monica, CA 90401   [phone]




[***][4/15/86][***]
IBM PREVIEWS VOICE RECOGNITION SYSTEM:
(No, this isn't another "hot" IBM rumor.) This past Monday, IBM
demonstrated a prototype of an advanced voice recognition system
at its Yorktown Heights, NY Research Center. The system, which
consists of a pair of custom expansion boards in an AT, is a
"slight" improvement on the original prototype, which was shown
in 1984. The original system used a room full of equipment and a
mainframe. The system has a vocabulary of 5000 words, which IBM
researchers picked after an extensive study of 25 million words
of office correspondence. It takes about 20 minutes for the
system to "train" itself to a person's voice, after which IBM
claims it's accurate 95% of the time -- as long as each word is
spoken distinctly. The first of the two AT boards is a digital
signal processor, which operates at 20 MHz, turning audio into a
phonetic output. The second board takes the output and checks it
against two megs of "language model" data. There's no word as to
when (or if) the system will be commercially available.

CONTACT:  IBM, Old Orchard Road, Armonk, NY 10504, 914-765-9600

[***][4/15/86][***]
DEC ADDS ANOTHER VAX:
In what's becoming a seemingly endless wave of product
introductions, Digital Equipment Corporation this week unveiled
yet another VAX computer. The VAX 8500 sits smack dab in the
middle of the VAX line, and costs about $300,000 fully equipped.
A DEC spokesperson summarized the 8500 by saying it's 1/3 the
size of the original VAX, is twice as powerful, and costs half as
much.

Meanwhile, rumors persist that DEC will soon be unveiling its
long-awaited IBM compatible. The BOSTON GLOBE reported this week
that the "VAXmate" will be introduced in May, and will run both
DEC and IBM PC software.

Finally, having met DEC president Ken Olsen on a number of
occasions, we were puzzled by the drawing of Olsen that appeared
in last week's article about DEC in the WALL STREET JOURNAL. It
sure didn't look like Olsen. It wasn't. The drawing that appeared
was of James Olson -- the president of AT&T.

CONTACT:  Digital Equipment Corporation, The Mill, Maynard, MA
          01754, 617-897-5111

[***][4/15/86][***]
WAS THE KENBAK THE FIRST PC?
Over the past year, Boston's Computer Museum has been running a
contest designed to save computer history. The museum has been
running ads all over the country asking people to contribute
vintage computer equipment, with the winners getting a free trip
to Boston. So far, 316 entries have been received. Among them is
a surprise, a personal computer that could very well beat out the
Altair as the first "production" personal computer. The Kenbak 1
was made by Kenbak Corporation of Los Angeles back in 1971 --
four years before the Altair. Selling for $750, the Kenbak was
aimed at the educational market, had 256 bytes of memory (that's
bytes, not kbytes), and was programmed with a series of switches.
Only about 40 were sold. On May 13, a panel of judges will
announce the five winners in the Computer Museum's contest; and
the Kenbak is expected to be one of them.

CONTACT:  Oliver Strimpel, Curator, The Computer Museum, 300
          Congress St., Boston, MA 02210, 617-426-2800

[***][4/15/86][***]
LOTUS' MANZI GETS ANOTHER TITLE:
In another step taking Lotus founder Mitch Kapor farther away
from day-to-day operations, Lotus Development announced this week
that president Jim Manzi will be taking on the additional title
of CEO, the position that had been held by Kapor. Two weeks ago,
Kapor stepped down as general manager of the business products
division. Lotus insiders tell NEWSBYTES that there's no corporate
intrigue involved; Kapor simply wants to get his fingers back
into R&D and long-term product planning. Manzi has been with
Lotus for the past three years, starting out as director of
marketing.

CONTACT:  Lotus Development, 55 Cambridge Parkway, Cambridge, MA
          02142, 617-577-8500

[***][4/15/86][***]
FIRST SOFTWARE CALLS IN CREDITORS:
Just three months after it received a $25 million line of credit,
Lawrence, MA-based distributor first software appears to be in
trouble. The company, one of the largest distributors of software
to computer retailers, has called a meeting of several hundred
unsecured creditors for next Friday. According to a company
spokesperson, the hard-hit computer retail market has caused the
company's growth (800% in its first two years) to flatten. The
spokesperson denied that First Software planned to file for
bankruptcy. Instead, the current situation will be explained to
the creditors. Several weeks ago, the company laid off an
undisclosed percentage of its staff.

CONTACT:  First Software, 17-21 Ballard Way, Lawrence, MA 01845,
          617-689-0077

[***][4/15/86][***]
MORE RESIGNATIONS AT WANG:
Despite an improving profit picture and a series of new products,
things continue to be shaky in Wang's executive offices. Last
year, president John Cunningham resigned to head up Computer
Consoles. The action prompted 65-year-old company founder An Wang
to come out of semi-retirement to run the company. This past
week, Wang lost another. Executive vice president J. Carl Masi
left the company after 11 years. Insiders say Masi left because
of a disagreement over a field operations reorganization ordered
by Wang Sr., and because he saw no opportunity of becoming
president. (Wang's heir-apparent is his son Frederick.) Masi had
no comment about his plans.

[***][4/15/86][***]
PERSONAL COMPUTER MUSIC REVISITED:
Will the first person to produce a commercial recording of
personal computer music please stand up? Our "Mac Music" story
(NEWSBYTES-N.E. 3/25) produced a great deal of reaction from readers
about what is truly the "first" recording. The latest claim comes
from an Arizona reader who says a series of "personal computer
jazz" albums were produced two years ago by a Washington State
musician using an Apple II. We still don't know who was really
first, but here's the address for the jazz albums:

CONTACT:  Tony Walloch, PO Box 98564, Des Moines, WA 98118

[***][4/15/86][***]
MACINTOSH HARD DISK PRICES DROP AGAIN:
Competition and what are claimed to be "economies of scale"
continue to benefit you lucky consumers as hard disk drive prices
for the MacIntosh continue to drop. Cambridge, MA-based General
Computer has cut their prices for the second time in the past six
months. Their 10-meg Hyperdrive now retails for $1399, down $300;
and the 20-meg version is down $500 to $1699. Both fit both the
Mac and Mac Plus.

CONTACT:  General Computer Corporation, 215 First St., Cambridge,
          MA 02142, 617-492-5500

[***][4/15/86][***]
NEW MOUSE FROM SUMMAGRAPHICS:
Mouse prices are dropping too, as new models make their
appearance. Fairfield, CT-based Summagraphics will introduce
their SummaMouse at Comdex Atlanta. Retailing for $119, it's a
fully-electronic rodent (no moving parts) that operates (like the
Mouse Systems unit) on a grid-patterned pad. The SummaMouse will
come with software for easy interfacing to popular software.

CONTACT:  Summagraphics Corporation, 777 State Street Extension,
          Fairfield, CT 06430, 203-384-1344

[***][4/15/86][***]
MINI/MICRO/ELECTRO COMING TO BOSTON:
For those who may be interested, there's still time to register
for "Electro/86" and "Mini/Micro Northeast", which will be held
concurrently May 13-15 at Boston's Bayside Exhibition Center.
Electronics Conventions Management, which is managing the shows,
is touting how convenient it'll be for attendees to be able to
walk back and forth between the two. But industry observers say
it's an effort to prop up the shows, which (like many) have been
losing people for the past few years. Admission to each is $20.

CONTACT:  Registration Control Systems, 2368 Eastman Ave., Suite
          11, Ventura, CA 93003,

[***][4/15/86][***]
NORTHEAST MUDBITS:

-- Encore Computer Corporation of Marlborough, MA -- which still
isn't shipping its long-awaited MultiMax multiprocessing
computer-- has sold its only software division. Foundation
Computer Systems (based in North Carolina) was sold to Sperry
Corporation for an undisclosed sum. Ironically, Sperry recently
cancelled a contract to resell MultiMaxes.

-- Four directors of Bedford, MA-based GCA corporation quit last
week, including the founder of the company. The reason given was
that the troubled maker of semiconductor manufacturing equipment
refused to pay premiums on directors' liability insurance.
According to one of the former directors, the insurance premium
went from $50,000 to "several hundred thousand dollars" for less
coverage.

-- After six years and an investment of some $15 million, Contrex
has closed its doors. The Billerica, MA company was developing an
advanced system for inspecting semiconductor wafers. 24 people
are out on the streets.

-- Mosaic Technologies of Billerica, MA has changed its name to
Ontologic, Incorporated. It's also received $2.5 million in
venture capital in a nick of time (80% of the company's 100
employees were laid off last year). The company is developing a
database system for storing CAD data.

[***][4/15/86][***]
MOST USELESS PRESS RELEASE OF THE WEEK:
A ripe raspberry to C. Itoh of Torrance, CA., whose latest press
release informs us that an Atlanta computer store salesmen won a
Mazda RX-7 for selling the most printers during a promotion.
Whoopee! (Come to think about it, maybe we're just jealous.)



[***][4/15/86][***]
INTEL JAPAN BREAKS TIES WITH MAJOR TOKYO DEALER:
According to industry sources, Intel Japan will end its dealer-
ship agreement with Tokyo Electron this June.  The news broke
after Tokyo Electron signed new dealership agreements with
Fujitsu in October 1985 and Motorola Japan this February.  Tokyo
Electron acquired a current dealership from Intel Japan for the
sales of all Intel's products in 1971.  Although TE's sales
volume of the Intel products declined recently, it has been
the largest among the dealers of Intel Japan.  TE's sales of
Intel's products were US$56 million in 1984 and approx. $30
million in 1985.

Meanwhile, Intel Japan has already found a new dealer "SemiCon
Systems" in Tokyo.  Semicon Systems was recently established by
Mr. Yamaguchi, a retired vice president of Intel Japan. This
firm aims to sell mainly Intel's 80286, 80386 and EPROM, a
report says.

CONTACT:  Intel Japan, Tsukuba, 029747-8511
          Semicon Systems, Tokyo, 03-770-7447

[***][4/15/86][***]
PRODUCING ICs ABROAD:
In the wake of the dumping issues, Japanese manufacturers
have come up with a "better idea" to avoid dumping fees in the
U.S.  It is to produce semiconductors in their overseas
factories and transfer them to the U.S.  Isn't that
smart?  Among others, Hitachi has already started manufacturing
its 256K DRAMs in its factory in Malaysia.  The company plans
to export them to the U.S. this June.  Other major Japanese
manufacturers such as Toshiba, NEC and Matsushita are also
expected to follow suit, since they have their own factories
in South East Asian countries.  Meanwhile, Japanese subsidiaries
of U.S. manufacturers are not the exception in this matter.
TI has already been producing parts of semiconductors in Japan and
completing them in Singapore, then it ships them to the U.S.
This is of course a tentative measure against pending dumping
issues of Japanese manufacturers in the U.S.  We hope to get a
satisfactory solution for the sake of both Japan and the U.S. in
the future.

[***][4/15/86][***]
RICOH's STRONG PAL IN TAIWAN:
RICOH (Tokyo) has signed a business agreement with the government-
subsidized Electronics Research and Service Organization (ERSO)
in Taiwan.  With this agreement, RICOH provides its technologies
to develop and produce various pictorial processors in Taiwan.
Meanwhile, five ERSO-affiliated firms in Taiwan are said to
supply RICOH with a large quantity of electronics equipment
at the prices of 30% to 50% lower than the Japanese-made
products.  RICOH will first import IBM compatible computers,
CRT displays and microcomputer boards in May.  Linking with
ERSO, which is supported by the universities and major firms
in Taiwan, will give RICOH a big advantage for the sales of
competitive hi-tech products in the Japanese market, say
analysts.

CONTACT: RICOH, Tokyo, 03-479-3111

[***][4/15/86][***]
FAMICON FEVER:
Reflecting the Family Computer fad, the stock of Kyoto-based
toy maker "Nintendo" has been skyrocketing -- it went up from
US$25 in December 1985 to $56 on April 10.  Believe it or not,
6.9 million sets of "FamiCon" have sold in Japan as of March
this year.  A survey shows that every two families out of 10
have FamiCon.  However, "You've still got to wait in a long
queue to buy this gadget," says the owner of a computer shop in
Shinjuku.  FamiCon's disk drive, which was released this past
February, has also been selling like hot cakes.  The company's
stock is expected to soar even higher when the project of FamiCon
network becomes reality in the near future.

CONTACT: Nintendo Head Office, Kyoto, 075-541-6111 (Mr.Imanishi)
         Nintendo of America, Washington (State), 206-882-2040

[***][4/15/86][***]
<<< SUKIYAKI BYTES >>>

IBM AGREES WITH OSI? -- News broke that IBM Japan joined (3/26)
the Japan Association of Sharing Information Processing
Technology (ITAP), which is created for mainly promoting "OSI"
as a standard telecom protocol in the future.  It is, however,
still too early to tell whether IBM complies with OSI.  IBM
might persuade OSI members to adapt the company's "SNA" protocol.
We'll see.

JAPANESE INFO IN THE U.S. -- Japan Information Center for
Science and Technology (JICST) has linked with National
Technical Information Service (NTIS) of the U.S. Department of
Commerce, concerning an online database business in the U.S.
NTIS will provide JICST's online information on Japanese
scientific and technical literature.  However, the information
is said to be in Japanese for the time being.

CONTACT: National Technical Information Service
         5258 Port Royal Rd., Springfield, VA 22161, U.S.A.
         (Phone: [phone])

1G BPS OPTICAL DATA TRANSFER -- Hitachi has developed a
subsystem that optically transfers pictorial and character data
at 1G bps.  This is, in fact, a milestone for the development
of the next generation LAN.

Meanwhile, Hitachi has decided to spend US$1.4 billion for the
company's R&D project in fiscal 1986.  The 60% of the budget
will be allotted for the electronics field, a report says.

SHARP's KANJI POCKET COMPUTER -- Sharp will start marketing
"PC-1600K", a pocket computer with the Kanji feature on April
25.  "PC-1600K" has a 16K RAM (80K at maximum), telecom
interfaces and extension slots.  It is priced at US$388.

Meanwhile, a report says that Sharp has just established its
sales firms in Switzerland, Austria and Singapore for the sales of
home electronics equipment and information systems.

COMPUTER GRAPHICS TOKYO '86 -- "Computer Graphics Tokyo '86",
a computer trade show to exhibit CAE, CAD, CAM, Workstation,
AI development supporting systems etc., will be help at Tokyo
Ryutsu Center between 4/22 and 4/25.  The total number of
exhibitors is 40.  The admission is US$8.3.

FAIRCHILD RAISE SEMICONDUCTOR OUTPUT -- Fairchild Japan has
started increasing production of semiconductors including gate
array and TTL by 30% a month.  The company's Nagasaki factory
currently has 200 employees.  According to a published report,
Fairchild Japan plans to hire more.

[***][4/15/86][***]
** BOOK CORNER **

"JAPAN QUARTERLY" -- A useful magazine for understanding Japan
has been newly published.  "JAPAN QUARTERLY", written in English,
covers various articles on politics, culture, literature and so
on.  The annual subscription fee (total four issues including
airmail fee from the U.S.) is $29.60.

CONTACT: Japan Publications Trading Co.
         P.O.Box 5030, Tokyo International, Tokyo 100-31, Japan
         (Phone: [phone])

"COMPUTERS AND COMMUNICATIONS": A view of C & C (by Koji
Kobayashi, The MIT Press, 200 pages, $16.95) -- What's behind the
NEC's C & C project?  It's a good book to get the idea of its
concept.  The book's author is said to have coined the phrase
"C & C" in the mid 1970s.
[***][4/15/86][***]
QUOTE OF THE WEEK

       "The competitive software was the key to the success
        of Family  Computer."

         -- Hiroshi Yamauchi, president of Nintendo Corp.
           (Nikkei Sangyo Daily, 4/11)


[***][4/15/86][***]
OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES
This week's NEWSBYTES-UK is shortened due to other pressing
needs (See "NEWSBYTES-UK Bureau Chief to Stand Trial Story".
Normal service next week folks!
[***][4/15/86][***]
SIR CLIVE SINCLAIR BOWS OUT:
As NEWSBYTES UK exclusively predicted last weekend, Sir
Clive Sinclair, doyen of the UK computer industry, has sold
up to Amstrad Computers Ltd.  At a packed press conference
held at the Howard Hotel in London on Monday afternoon, Sir
Clive Sinclair, founder of Sinclair Research, and Alan
Sugar, chairman of Amstrad Computers, explained the deal
which alters the face of home computing in the UK.

In exchange for 5 million pounds ($7.5m), Amstrad have
gained the intellectual and marketing rights to current and
future computers from the Sinclair stable.  These include
the ZX81, Sinclair Spectrum Plus, Spectrum 128, and the
68000-based QL machine.

With the 5 million for relinquishing the firm he set firmly
on the computer market back in 1980 with the ZX80, Sir Clive
hopes to pursue what he does best - research and genius
inventing of hi-tech products.  The manufacture and
marketing side of things will be left to Alan Sugar, head of
Amstrad Computing, a public limited company now worth 500
million pounds.

[***][4/15/86][***]
APRICOT BAIL OUT OF THE US:
Whilst Sir Clive Sinclair admitted defeat on home territory,
and sold out his UK sales and marketing divisions (see
above), another UK firm, Apricot Computers, have admitted
defeat in North America and sold their US offshoot to two
existing managers for a "nominal sum".  This move means
that, whilst Apricot Inc., will continue to market Apricot
computers in the US, they will not be owned or controlled by
Apricot UK.  Confused?  I don't blame you!

[***][4/15/86][***]
COMMODORE BAIL OUT:
Nope, it's not that Commodore is going down the same avenue
trod by Sinclair and Apricot this past week, but more a
storm in a teacup that's been brewing in recent weeks.
Commodore has just split - less than amicably - with its
PR company, Granard Communications.  Granard say it
"resigned" from Commodore.  Industry sources say otherwise,
and put it bluntly that Granard dumped Commodore from their
lists as they weren't getting enough work (for work, read
cash) to make it worthwhile.  Although it's been common
knowledge that C'dore UK was seeking a new PR company,
its choice as a replacement for Granard - Harvard
Marketing Services - leads to puzzled looks and comments of
"Who?" from industry hacks.

[***][4/15/86][***]
POLICE START LEARNING ABOUT COMPUTERS:
Probably years after the criminal fraternity started,
Scotland Yard's computer crime squad members have started a three
year programme of intensive training designed to teach their
colleagues in police forces around the UK the basics in
computer crime.  The programme aims to give every UK police
force at least one computer specialist.  The course lasts
four weeks, and take place at the Police Staff College in
Bramshill, Hertfordshire during which time, officers will
analyze the different types of computer crime as well as a
broad introduction to the hardware and software used in
today's computers.  The course will be led by detective
inspector John Austin of the existing Scotland Yard Computer
Crime Unit.  Detective Austin is the officer who led the
team which arrested Steve Gold and Robert Schifreen in March
of last year (see next story).

[***][4/15/86][***]
NEWSBYTES BUREAU CHIEF TO STAND TRIAL:
Yep, you guessed it, I'm going to court this week, to stand
trial for crimes that I'm alleged to have committed in
October/November 1984.  Both myself and Robert Schifreen, my
co-defendant, have pleaded not guilty to the charges that we
both "hacked" our way into the Prestel viewdata system in
late 1984.  Mr Schifreen has five charges against him,
including "forging a device" on a Prestel computer, and
accessing the Vampire ports on Prestel.  Me? I've got four
charges on similar lines.  It seems strange reporting on my
own experiences, but one thing's for sure, NEWSBYTES UK
readers will be able to read the unadulterated trial details
as they happen!

Unfortunately, because of the law of sub judice in the UK, I
am forbidden, as is the rest of the media, to say anything
other than the broadest details of my case, until I'm either
convicted or acquitted.  Naturally, I hope the latter will
apply in my case, since *I have not done anything illegal*,
but I have to leave it to the judge and jury to decide.
That's what democracy is all about, isn't it?

 ==

[***][4/15/86][***]
TELECOM TRADE BILL CLEARS COMMITTEE
Rep. Robert Matsui's (D-Calif.) telecommunications trade bill won
approval from the House Ways and Means Committee last week. The
vote was 32-2. "This bill is the first effort to open up markets
in countries like West Germany, Japan, and Canada to the U.S.
telecommunications industry," Matsui said. Ironically, Matsui is
of Japanese descent. Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski (D-
Ill.) says he hopes to attach the bill to a broader trade bill
set for floor debate next month.

[***][4/15/86][***]
FOSE FIZZLES
This year's Federal Office Systems Expo, held last week in the
D.C. Convention Center, was a lackluster affair, with little of
the flash and dazzle of previous years. Perhaps it was the
industry, which has seen little this year that is truly new or
innovative. Perhaps it was the pall of Gramm-Rudman hanging over
the federal buyers. Even official show mascot George Plimpton,
the great pretender, didn't arose enthusiasm as he calmly sat in
the press room Tuesday morning, waiting for an escort to his next
event.

Among FOSE's few highlights:

 * 3M's new document handler, a system based on laser disks. The
Docutron 2000 system, which can store hundreds of thousands of
pages of material, consists of an optical disk drive, scanner,
video screen, laser printer, keyboard, and controls. It can
support up to 15 remote terminals. Each of its 12-inch optical
disks can store up to 3.6 gigabytes of information. Also
available is the Docutron 9000, which can be linked to mainframe
computers. The Docutron 2000 can handle up to 100 optical disks.
The model 9000, says 3M, "can handle, theoretically, an infinite
number of the laser-imaged storage media."

CONTACT: 3M, Minneapolis, Minn., 612-733-4339

 * PRIME's new PC-compatible terminal, which switches back and
forth between plain vanilla MS-DOS 2.11 and the PRIMOS operating
system running on the company's 32-bit supermini's. File transfer
protocols allow shipping documents between the Prime and the PC
with little trouble. It even supports binary file transfer. Prime
officials say the next step is to integrate the terminal into
office local area networks with other PCs. The base price: $4000.
"But don't take that too seriously," says a Prime sales woman.
"We want to sell these, and we're willing to deal." Prime, whose
minis are very solid machines indeed, was criticized a couple of
years ago for missing out on the PC market. Now the company has
picked out what appears to be a pretty good niche for a simple
clone, something DEC probably wishes it had done.

CONTACT: Prime Computer Inc., Prime Park, Natick, Mass., 01760.

 * SHAFTSTALL'S disk conversion machine. This piece of silicon
and iron, which runs with an XT, can convert almost any disk
format ever made into almost any other. Eight inch, five and a
quarter, three and a half, hard sector, soft sector, single or
double sided. It will handle incredibly oddball conversions, such
as writing Compugraphic EditWriter typsetting disks to PC-DOS
disks. If you are looking to go into the growing business of disk
conversions, this is one place to start.

CONTACT: Shaftstall Corp., 7901 East 88th St., Indianapolis,
         Ind., 46256. 317-842-2077.

[***][4/15/86][***]
THE HARD CASH IN DEFENSE SOFTWARE
The Baltimore investment firm of Alex Brown says BDM
International is the most promising play for investors seeking
gains from the growing market in defense-related software.
Analyst Susan Pitts says defense software offers the investor
"strong fundamentals" despite forecasts of slumps in defense
spending. BDM is a major player in the Strategic Defense
Initiative, or Star Wars, program. Other firms that Pitts likes:
SofTech and Verdix, both Ada specialists. Both firms "are in a
strong position," Pitts wrote, "assuming the Ada programming
language has developed critical mass."

CONTACT: Alex Brown, 135 East Baltimore St., Baltimore. Md.,
         21202, 301-727-1700.

[***][4/15/86][***]
DUELING COMPUTER COLUMNISTS IN D.C.
Two weeks ago, T.R. Reid, one of two regular computer columnists
for "The Washington Post," opined that most PC clones aren't very
good. In particular, he singled out the Leading Edge Model D,
which he suggested was "only 55 percent compatible." Reid also
advised his readers to always buy American, because U.S. made
computers are better made.

A week later, Sheldon Richman, who writes about computers for the
upstart "Washington Times" replied. He compared the American
Kaypro with the Korean Leading Edge, both fairly faithful P.C.
clones (both use the Phoenix ROM BIOS). Richman concluded that
"as good as the Kaypro is, I cannot say it's better than the LE."
Current score: Post 1, Times 1.

[***][4/15/86][***]
NEWSNET NETS TWO MORE COMPUTER LETTERS
NewsNet, the electronic purveyor of newsletters, has added two
more computer publications to list: "Computing Today" and
"Microcomputers in Education." The Bryn Mawr, Pa., firm says it
now had more than 75 computer publications available on line.
"Computing Today" from Computing Today Publishers in San Ramon,
Calif., covers new products on a continuous basis. It is
available only electronically. "Microcomputer in Education", from
publishers of the same name in Darien, Conn., is a monthly
pitched at the vertical education market.

CONTACT: Marcia Cheetham, NewsNet, Bryn Mawr, Pa., 800-345-1301

[***][4/15/86][***]
APTEC TARGETS FEDERAL MARKET
Aptec Computer Systems of Portland, Ore., maker of high-speed
input/output devices for Digital Equipment Corp.'s VAX line of
minicomputers, is making a push for the lucrative federal market.
Aptec has hired Maryland-based Systems Support Agency, a
marketing and sales firm, to represent the company in sales to
the Defense Department. The Beltsville, Md., firm specializes in
high-end systems. Aptec's special purpose computers boost I/O
transaction speeds, so that VAX computers can handle real-time
data applications.

CONTACT: Aptec Computer Systems, 10180 S.W. Nimbus Ave.,
         Portland, Ore., 503-620-9840.

[***][4/15/86][***]
WASHINGTON COMPUTER BUSINESS INDEX
The computer business index dropped nearly 70 points last week,
falling to 203.8 from the prior week's 271. The index is based on
display advertising in "Washington Business," published each
Monday by "The Washington Post." The April 7 edition contained
10.6 pages of microcomputer ads, compared to 26.8 pages of non-
computer display ads. What's most troubling about the drop is
that computer advertising dropped from 14.1 pages to 10.6 pages,
while non-computer ads rose from 24 pages to 26.8.

[***][4/15/86][***]
POWERBYTES

  $$$ Intel Corp. has picked up a $4.8 million Air Force contract
to develop magnetic bubble memories. The 31-month contract is
aimed at extending Intel's four-bit bubble memory device so it
can be used in airborne and space applications.

   $$$ Systems Development Corp. of Paoli, Pa., has won a $4.35
million Army contract to upgrade 450 Tactical Army Combat Support
computer systems. Work will be done in Paoli, and should be
completed by December.

   $$$ CACI, Inc., of Arlington, Va., has unveiled a new software
production called SIMFACTORY. It produces animated color pictures
of factory configurations, allowing planners to test different
configurations on the fly. The program runs on IBM XTs, ATs, or
compatibles as well as many mainframes, says CACI.

CONTACT: CACI, 1815 N. Fort Myer Drive, Arlington, Va.,
         22211,703-841-7800.


[***][4/15/86][***]
IBM NEWS--"CLAMSHELL" AND EXPO-86:
IBM's laptop PC Convertible, unveiled last week, will sell
in Canada for $3,500, an IBM spokesperson said at a news
conference.  The company also announced it would cease
production of its "transportable" suitcase-size
microcomputer, while introducing hot-rodded versions of the
AT and XT models, and reducing prices by 2% on the base PC
and 29% on selected versions of the PC/XT to bring price
points more within the range of popular clones.

And "InfoWorld" reports a strong IBM presence at EXPO-86
this summer.  As one of the Fair's corporate sponsors, IBM
will set up 7 kiosks, each with 11 ATs on hand for
demonstrations.  One AT at each booth is a master, all the
others slaves; all are set up with touch screens and a laser
disk.  Promotional announcements can be viewed, and
statistics kept on user participation, during the Fair's
run, which begins May 2 in Vancouver.  A local bulletin
board will also be set up during the Fair, at 604/688-6497.

CONTACT: IBM Canada Ltd., 350 Steeles Ave E., Markham, Ontario,
         L3R 2Z1, 416/474-2111

[***][4/15/86][***]
APPLE DEALERS SPARED CHOP:
The recent move by U.S. Apple Computer Inc. to drop 600
low-selling dealers will not effect Canada's 350 retailers,
said a company spokesperson last week.  Apple Canada Inc.,
Markham, Ontario, launched a program nine months ago
encouraging its dealerships to focus on specialised
markets.  Canadian dealers, said the spokesperson, are
judged on the merits of their business plan, not financial
performance, but added, "We're not bringing new dealers on
board at any significant rate.  The dealer base [here] is
being streamlined through attrition."

CONTACT: Apple Canada Inc., 875 Don Mills Rd., Don Mills,
         Ontario, M3C 1V9, 416/366-2232

[***][4/15/86][***]
NEW NORTEL TERMINAL:
Northern Telecom Canada Ltd. (Mississauga, Ont.) has
introduced a fibre-optics multiplex terminal for use on
customer premises.  The FMT-45C has a handling capacity of
672 simultaneous voice conversations, at a transmission
rate of 45 megabits per second.  Applications include
linking an intramural phone system to the public network to
transport high volumes of information at a low cost.

CONTACT: Northern Telecom, 800/362-7950

[***][4/15/86][***]
INFOGLOBE'S CORPORATE DATABASE:
InfoGlobe, the electronic database of "The Globe and Mail,"
introduces a new "Report On Business Corporate Database."
The online service contains detailed financial information
on over 1500 publicly-traded Canadian companies.
Available to users on May 1, the database was developed for
"Report On Business 1000" magazine, published by the Globe.

CONTACT: The Globe and Mail, 444 Front Street W., Toronto,
         Ontario, M5V 2S9, 416/585-5000

[***][4/15/86][***]
"MITI-FIX" FOR CHEMICAL SAFETY:
Canada's Occupational Safety And Health Administration
requires potentially hazardous products imported to the
U.S. to be accompanied by a substantial amount of
paperwork.  "MSDS Miti-fix," a software package from Clough
Management Services, offers pre-formatted "material safety
data sheets" to speed the process for chemical companies.
The program includes a standard phrase library and sells
for $675 (CDN); it is designed to run on the IBM PC/XT,
Compaq Plus and 286, and other compatibles.  A
demonstration disc is offered for $67.50.

CONTACT: Clough Management Services, P.O. Box 1017, St.
         Jean, Quebec, J3B 7B5

[***][4/15/86][***]
INTEREST RATES FROM CRITERION:
An online interest rate service is offered by Criterion
Research Corp. (Toronto, Ont.), which includes information
on current accounts, guaranteed investment certificates,
term deposits, mortgages, and personal loans.  Data from
more than 100 fiduciary institutions are surveyed,
including all Canadian chartered banks, trust companies,
credit unions with four or more branches, and retail
foreign banks.  The most volatile rates are surveyed daily,
others weekly, and information can be retrieved with a
company's existing terminals.

CONTACT: Criterion Research Corp., 325-114 Front St. W.,
         Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2L7

[***][4/15/86][***]
MOORE CORP. HI-TECH INVESTMENT:
Moore Corp. Ltd. of Toronto announces that its business
forms subsidiary has agreed to acquire treasury shares of
KCR Technology Inc., of Connecticut.  KCR is a
research-and-development firm investigating non-impact
printers for computer systems.  Moore's initial investment
will be $1-million, with an additional $4-million coming in
60 days, giving Moore a 30% share of KCR.

[***][4/15/86][***]
OLIVETTI FOR RCMP:
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has signed a
contract for 2000 personal computers from Olivetti Canada
Inc. (Markham, Ont.).  The M24 models will primarily be
used for communicating between RCMP offices across Canada.
("We always get our Pac-man?")

CONTACT: Olivetti Canada, 3190 Steeles Ave. E., Markham,
         Ontario, L3R 1G9, 416/477-8250