IBM issues new slew of ThinkPads, including an NT version (InfoWorld)

[Tom Kustner <tom.kustner@emjay.com>]

> 
>   IBM issues new slew of ThinkPads, including an NT version   
> 
>                                                               [Image]
>   By Carolyn A. April
>   InfoWorld Electric
>                                                               [Image]
>   Posted at 11:25 AM PT, Oct 15, 1996
>   IBM PC Corp. on Tuesday pulled the curtains back on new     [Image]
>   mid- and high-end ThinkPad notebook computers, debuting
>   one model with pre-loaded Windows NT Workstation and        [Image]
>   another with the 150-MHz Pentium processor.
>                                                               [Image]
>   Along with overhauling to faster processors, roomier hard
>   drives and enhanced multimedia, IBM officials said the
>   product roll-out represents a shift in distribution         [Image]
>   strategy that saw the PC giant uncharacteristically flood
>   the channel with more than 30,000 new ThinkPad 365s and     [Image]
>   760s weeks prior to the launch.
>                                                               [Image]
>   "We know ThinkPad supply has always been a complaint
>   against us, and we're trying to address that," said Steve
>   Ward, general manager of mobile computing at IBM, in
>   Somers, N.Y.
> 
>   The lone exception to immediate availability is the new
>   ThinkPad 760 EL (model 9547-U4K), the system that is
>   pre-loaded with NT. That system, which sports a 133-MHz
>   Pentium processor, 32MB of RAM, 2.1 gigabyte hard drive,
>   and 12.1-inch active matrix display, will be available to
>   users in November (pricing is unavailable), company
>   officials said.
> 
>   The reason for the lag time, according to Ward, is so
>   that IBM can fine tune and fully test the mobile
>   performance of NT -- particularly in carrying out key
>   features IBM has taken pains to add, including some power
>   management and some plug-and-play capabilities.
> 
>   In addition, the firm has developed device drivers --
>   which will be available on the IBM home page by the end
>   of the year -- that will allow the NT-based notebook to
>   support MPEG-2 full-motion video, serial infrared data
>   transmission, and hardware-based power management.
> 
>   IBM's efforts to make NT a suitable mobile platform
>   mirrors many of its competitors, including Texas
>   Instruments Inc., Compaq Computer Corp., Toshiba America
>   Information Systems Inc., and Digital Equipment Corp.
> 
>   In response to corporate customer demand, none of the top
>   notebook purveyors seem content to wait for Microsoft
>   Corp. to add mobile essentials like Plug and Play and
>   full power management into the next version of NT.
> 
>   But many, including IBM, have worked with the software
>   giant on interim solutions. Said Ward: "We've
>   collaborated to ensure the best performance between their
>   operating system and our machine."
> 
>   Included in this week's ThinkPad announcement are seven
>   new models in the value- to mid-priced 365 series, and
>   six new models in the high-end 760 line.
> 
>   A sample of those models follows:
> 
>   * ThinkPad 760E: 150-MHz Pentium processor, 16MB of Ram,
>   256KB of Level 2 cache, PCI bus architecture, 12.1-inch
>   active matrix XGA screen, 2.1-gigabyte hard drive, 2MB of
>   video RAM, two Type II or one Type III PC card slots, and
>   PC Card Bus. It is priced at $5,699.
> 
>   * ThinkPad 760ED: 133-MHz Pentium processor, 16MB of RAM,
>   256KB of Level 2 cache, 12.1-inch active matrix SVGA
>   screen, 1.2 gigabyte hard drive, quad-speed CD-ROM drive,
>   2MB of video RAM, and two Type II or one Type III PC card
>   slot. It is priced at $5,399.
> 
>   * ThinkPad 365X: 133-MHz Pentium processor, 8MB of RAM,
>   1.08 gigabyte hard drive, 11.3-inch dual scan SVGA
>   screen, 1MB of video RAM, and two Type II or one Type III
>   PC card slots. It is priced at $2,499.
> 
>   IBM can be reached at http://www.ibm.com/.
> 

Go to http://www.infoworld.com to see this article.  Is that price on
the 760ED correct?

-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Kustner                   Emjay Corporation    
System/LAN Administrator      725 W. Glendale Ave.
Email: tom.kustner@emjay.com  Glendale, WI  53209-6509  USA
Any opinions are mine and not necessarily those of Emjay's.