home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
Text File | 1990-05-17 | 2.1 KB | 43 lines | [TEXT/GEOL] |
- APPLE CONFIDENTIAL / NEED TO KNOW
-
- Ken Lim, Competitive Analysis
-
-
- IBM’S NEW “PS/2 Model 25 286” ADDS 286 & VGA TO LOW-END COMPACTS
-
-
- This morning, May 10th, IBM announced a new low-end PC. It is basically a new
- version of the current Model 25 with a 10 MHz 80286 and 12” color VGA video.
- The two sub-models are the “006” with 512KB RAM and a 1.44 MB floppy and the
- “036” with 1 MB RAM and a 30 MB hard disk. Both are color, there are no
- monochrome versions. RAM is expandable to 4 MB on the motherboard and up 16 MB
- in total. All other features are identical the the existing Model 25s. There
- is no report of any bundled software.
-
- The pricing is very unaggressive--the Model 006 lists at $2295 and the 036 at
- $2995. This is $600 and $505 higher than the color 512/FD and 640/20 Model
- 25s. This is a 35% premium for the floppy and a 20% premium for the hard disk
- version. The modular, 3 slot, Model 30-286, which also uses a 286 and VGA,
- costs $2745 and $3695 for similar configurations. Stated target markets are
- “Education (standalone, classroom LAN, multimedia), home, small and medium
- business, and as a LAN node” in larger organizations. Distribution remains the
- same as other PS/2s.
-
- We estimate street prices will immediately drop to about $1495 and $1995, since
- IBM’s list prices are higher than some clone 80386sx systems.
-
- Are these the same beasts that were speculated to be IBM’s “Model 20” in the
- $1300 to $1800 range? We don’t know for sure, but we think not. It’s possible
- that the nonexistent monochrome versions might have been priced that low or
- that IBM got cold feet about really getting in at the current market pricing
- for slow 286 systems. They could also just be starting out high and could be
- planning to drop the price about 20% in calendar Q4. OR there may still be a
- lower model in the works to be announced at a later date. In any case, the
- models announced today won’t significantly change the current situation between
- the IBM and Apple product lines.
-
-
- _______________________________________________________________________________
- We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please Link us at COMPETITION.
-
-