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

["Eric Trepanier" <etrepani@qc.bell.ca>]

I was wondering if this new additionnal NT support (Plug and Play, Power
Management, Infrared serial and MPEG II) will only be available for the new
ThinkPads coming out, or if it will be also available for current and
almost-current machines such as the 760CD?

----------
> From: Tom Kustner <tom.kustner@emjay.com>
> To: thinkpad@cs.utk.edu
> Subject: IBM issues new slew of ThinkPads, including an NT version
(InfoWorld)
> Date: 15 octobre, 1996 21:07
> 
> > 
> >   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?
> 
> -- 
>
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> 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.