The Little I.B.M. Finally Arrives for a Test

Personal Computers

By Erik Sandberg-Diment
The New York Times

December 27, 1983

THE I.B.M. PCjr, the long awaited ''Peanut'' from International Business Machines, is here at last, or at least its demonstration models are. After all that waiting, it seems odd that no one appears particularly enthusiastic about the machine, except for those who hope it will stabilize the home computer market, so the consumer can stop worrying if his computer's maker will be in business next week.

The first objection to the PCjr centers around its rather strange keyboard, which is so light, at only 25 ounces, using it is like having a pillow on your lap (if this is your preferred typing position) instead of an iron bar. But the feel of a keyboard when one is typing is what really counts, and when it comes to letting your fingers do the walking, on the PCjr they have all the grace of a rubber-kneed centipede.

The flat, Chiclet-style keys have a slight dip in the center for the fingertips to ''grasp.'' Even so, their oblong shape and hesitant return spring are not generally conducive to efficient touch-typing. For hunt-and-peck typists, the placement of the key identifiers on the board above the keys rather than on the keys themselves can make operation even more difficult. The unusual key-labeling system was used on purpose, so various templates could be fitted over the keyboard. All 62 keys are programmable. That is to say, you can so customize them that one or two keystrokes can produce a whole series of actions within a program. Such total programmability is an advanced feature that even the junior's big brother doesn't have, and it again brings up the question of what future I.B.M. envisions for this computer.

In a final deviation from the established norms for keyboards, this one comes as a cordless device that ''connects'' remotely with the computer itself by means of an infrared signal unit. Why anyone would want to sit as far as away as 20 feet from a computer and its display screen is beyond me. But there it is, if you want to exercise the option.

In running the PCjr sampler, an introductory software package that comes with the machine, I found the computer's video display, which can handle up to 16 colors, to be actually better than that of the PC itself. The sound quality is somewhat superior as well.

The software sampler contains 12 miniprograms - including a word game, a recipe organizer, a home- loan calculator and a checkbook program - designed to put the first-time user at ease. This they do reasonably well. However, the speed of segments like the shopping list, whose aim is to help you organize your forays into the world of spending, is excruciatingly slow.

The typewriter program, which is not for word processing, merely making the computer operate as an electronic typewriter, is probably the best simple test of one's compatibility with this computer. Two pages into a manuscript, and I was looking for a pad and pen with which to finish my story.

There are basically two models of the junior: The entry model, which handles cartridge programs only, and the enhanced model, which accepts diskettes as well as cartridge-stored programs. The former retails for $669 and offers 64K, or the equivalent of about 64,000 characters, of usable memory. Its display is limited to 40 characters per line.

The higher-end model, selling for $1,269, has a larger memory, 128K, and can use both cartridges and floppy disks for running applications programs. If you are thinking of a PCjr, it is really the only one to get, since its 80-character display line is the minimum required for decent word processing.

In the case of both models, however, before you can arrive at a final price you will have to add the cost of a monitor or a television set if you are to see what you and the computer are cooking up together. Then there is an internal modem (at a fairly stiff $199) to be added if you intend to use the PCjr for accessing data banks over the telephone or for picking up information from the computer at the office.

You will probably also want a joystick for games ($40) and either a lightweight thermal printer (economical at $175 plus $40 for the adapter, but with the poor print quality associated with this technology), or the I.B.M. PC Color Printer ($1,995), in which case you will need a parallel printer attachment ($99) as well.

Thus your initial expenditure of $1,000 or so will probably grow to more than $2,000 - even if you purchase the entry model. For the fact is that while cartridge memory may make for good corporate economics because the software cannot be readily pirated, programs on disk will continue to dominate the personal computer field for some time to come. As a result, you will no doubt end up adding a disk drive ($480) to your junior if you start out with the diskless entry level model.

But you will not add more than one disk drive. The machine has been intentionally designed so that two drives cannot be used. Many popular programs, such as the business program Lotus 1-2-3, will therefore not run effectively on the PCjr, even with the addition of the almost mandatory extra 64K of memory ($140).

All in all, comparing the PCjr with the PC itself is like comparing a bicycle with a Chevrolet except that the price difference is less significant. Maybe a bicycle is enough for your needs. Even so, the best bet right now is probably to pick up a copy of ''Introducing the I.B.M. PCjr'' by Andrew M. Seybold (Howard Sams & Company, Indianapolis, $12.95) or ''Introducing the I.B.M. PCjr,'' by Douglas Ford Cobb and Chris DeVoney (Que Corporation, Indianapolis, $9.95).

The two books are not quite as alike as two peanuts in a shell, despite what their titles would seem to indicate. And you will have plenty of time to read either, or both, before you decide whether or not to buy the computer, which for all the prereleased gossip probably will not be available in any quantity until next summer.