IBM Begins Marketing its Personal Computer in Europe

The Wall Street Journal

January 19, 1983

BOCA RATON, FLA.--INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP. SAID IT HAS BEGUN MARKETING ITS PERSONAL COMPUTER OVERSEAS.

THE COMPUTER, WHICH HAS BEEN A STRONG SELLER SINCE IT WAS INTRODUCED IN AUGUST, 1981, SO FAR HAS BEEN SOLD ONLY IN THE U.S. AND CANADA.

IBM SAID THE COMPUTER WILL BE AVAILABLE IN EUROPE, INCLUDING AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, DENMARK, FRANCE, GERMANY, IRELAND, ITALY, THE NETHERLANDS, NORWAY, SPAIN, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND AND THE UNITED KINGDOM. IT ALSO WILL BE SOLD IN SAUDI ARABIA, HONG KONG AND SINGAPORE. OTHER COUNTRIES WILL BE ADDED THIS YEAR.

THE PERSONAL COMPUTER WILL BE SOLD AND SERVICED ABROAD BY LOCAL IBM MARKETING ORGANIZATIONS AND PRODUCT CENTERS, AS WELL AS BY AUTHORIZED DEALERS.

THE COMPANY SAID INITIAL SHIPMENTS WILL BE FROM ITS FACILITY IN BOCA RATON, WITH SUBSEQUENT PRODUCTION FOR EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST AT IBM'S PRODUCTION FACILITY AT GREENOCK, SCOTLAND.

IN A RELATED ANNOUNCEMENT, COMPUTERLAND, HAYWARD, CALIF.-BASED CHAIN OF COMPUTER STORES, SAID ITS DEALERS WILL BE SELLING THE IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER IN ENGLAND, FRANCE, HONG KONG AND SINGAPORE. THE CHAIN OPERATES 400 STORES IN 24 COUNTRIES.

"TOTAL SALES OF IBM'S PERSONAL COMPUTER IN THE EUROPEAN MARKET IN 1983 COULD EASILY EXCEED 200,000" UNITS, ONE ANALYSTS SAID. COMPETITORS MOST LIKELY TO BE AFFECTED, HE SUGGESTED, ARE APPLE COMPUTER INC., CUPERTINO, CALIF., AND THE VICTOR BUSINESS PRODUCTS SUBSIDIARY OF KIDDE INC., CHICAGO. BOTH MAKE COMPUTERS IN THE "GENERALLY SIMILAR" PRICE AND PERFORMANCE RANGE. SEVERAL COMPANIES ALSO SELL COMPUTERS OVERSEAS IN THE UNDER $1,000 MARKET.