"IBM OBSERVATIONS" Conference 84.14797 MIKE GREENLY, organizer, about "WATCHING THE MARKET LEADER'S STRATEGIC DECISIONS AND REACTIONS IN THE MARKET PLACE" (answers: 182) Answer 178 (of 182) DAVE ALLEN, on WED, SEP 12 1984 at 13:23 (2972 characters) IBM announces graphics displays, other PC features (From Dow Jones Wire Service 09/10) International Business Machines Corp announced the introduction of two graphics displays for its personal computers as well as advanced features and programs to enable IBM PC's to construct engineering models, do high-level scientific computations, and control instruments in labs and plants. The company also announced more than a dozen telecommunications products to make it easier to move information in offices, labs, and plants. IBM said its new IBM PC professional graphics display and professional graphics controller can quickly generate and display advanced color graphics in up to 256 colors simultaneously. The display is priced at $1,295 and the controller at $2,995. IBM also introduced a second PC display priced at $849 and an adapter card at $524 that can enhance the definition color range and use of graphics in the IBM PC, PC XT and PC AT. It said a new five-inch expansion option card increases user memory by 256 kilobytes in the IBM Personal Computer Personal Computer XT and Portable PC. The other telecommunications products and enhancements announced by IBM today include an expansion of SNA to enable millions of devices such as workstations, banking, and retail machines to be connected in a single network. (From WALL STREET JOURNAL 09/11/84) IBM's new products cover a wide range of markets and products. They follow recent price cuts on IBM's most powerful mainframe computers and the August introduction of the PC AT desktop computer. And they indicate that IBM will expand into the narrower science and engineering markets where it has previously lagged, while simultaneously moving more aggressively in the general business markets it already dominates. The new products include two more-powerful PC video screens, new models in its 4300 and System/38 minicomputer families, and a number of telecommunications, networking devices and computer-aided design programs. IBM introduced connection devices to link the 4300 central computer to more powerful work stations that are being built around its Personal Computer family. To help boost the PC as an engineering tool it also announced a new, high-resolution video screen and accessory that lets the PC manipulate complicated images such as three-dimensional drawings. The company wants to encourage outside software concerns to build on this new capability, much as it did in propelling the PC to leadership in the business market. "We see this the same way," said Ed Marill, a product manager at IBM's Boca Raton, Fla.-based entry systems division. IBM also unveiled another new video screen display for its PC, for business customers, that can show financial graphs and text at the same time. That removes one of the advantages that Compaq Computer Corp.'s new Deskpro computer had over the IBM PC. Answer 180 (of 182) LOUIS, on WED, SEP 12 1984 at 20:18 (58 characters) What are the specs for that $800 graphics board, anyway? Answer 181 (of 182) LOUIS, on WED, SEP 12 1984 at 20:52 (868 characters) To answer my own question: IBM just announced two levels of enhanced graphics for the PC and new graphics software. But, GRRR, no mention of NAPLPS. The $800 enhanced graphics adapter will display any 16 colors from a palette of 64 at 640 X 350 resolution. There is no mention in the release of a lower resolution mode with a bigger palette, but who knows? There is also a higher resolution RGB display to match the board. Then they have a $4000 box which allows simultaneous display of any 256 colors from a palette of 4096 at 640 X 480 resolution, and will also emulate standard IBM graphics. It has 256K of graphics RAM built in. And they announced GKS (Graphics Kernal System) for PC-DOS. As I said, no mention of NAPLPS. Still, I guess we have to welcome the enhanced graphics adapter. The old one really was paltry... Answer 182 (of 182) BK, on MON, OCT 01 1984 at 00:33 (340 characters)