IBM Introduces Second Personal Computer Model

Dow Jones News Service

March 8, 1983

New York -- INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP. INTRODUCED A SECOND PERSONAL COMPUTER MODEL, CALLED THE IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER XT, WITH MORE THAN NINE TIMES THE STORAGE CAPACITY OF THE PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE MODEL.

IBM SAID THE NEW PERSONAL COMPUTER, WHICH IS PRICED AT $4, 995 FOR THE BASIC SYSTEM, FEATURES 131,072 CHARACTERS OF USER MEMORY, A DUAL-SIDED DISKETTE DRIVE WITH A 368,640-CHARACTER CAPACITY AND A HIGH-PERFORMANCE DISK DRIVE WITH A CAPACITY OF MORE THAN 10 MILLION CHARACTERS.

THE LATTER ACHIEVES ITS GREATLY ENLARGED MEMORY THROUGH A SO-CALLED HARD-DISK STORAGE DEVICE BUILT INTO THE XT MODEL.

ADDITIONALLY, IBM INTRODUCED OPTIONAL MEMORY EXPANSION UNITS FOR BOTH THE XT MODEL AND THE PERSONAL COMPUTER TO RAISE THIER STORAGE CAPACITY TO MORE THAN 20 MILLION CHARACTERS.

THE EXPANSION UNIT FOR THE XT IS PRICED AT $2,695. THE UNIT FOR THE PERSONAL COMPUTER IS PRICED AT $3,395; A SECOND HARD-DISK DRIVE, NECESSARY TO OBTAIN THE MAXIMUM STORAGE CAPACITY, IS PRICED AT $1,695.

THE XT MODEL ALSO INCLUDES A COMMUNICATIONS ADAPTER TO ENABLE THE SYSTEM TO COMMUNICATE WITH OTHER IBM PERSONAL COMPUTERS, LARGER IBM COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND OUTSIDE INFORMATION SOURCES.

IBM ALSO INTRODUCED A COLOR MONITOR CAPABLE OF DISPLAYING CHARACTERS IN 16 COLORS AGAINST ONE OF EIGHT BACKGROUND COLORS. THE PRICE OF THE COLOR MONITOR AT IBM RETAIL OUTLETS IS $680.

IN OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS, IBM SAID IT WAS REDUCING PRICES FOR SEVERAL IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER PRODUCTS, INCLUDING DISKETTE DRIVES AND OTHER HARDWARE OPTIONS. AT IBM RETAIL OUTLETS, SAVINGS ON A TYPICAL CONFIGURATION OF THE IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER WILL BE ABOUT 15%, THE COMPANY SAID.

IBM INTRODUCED A COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM TO HELP DEALERS SELL ITS PRODUCTS AND TO RECEIVE SALES INFORMATION ELECTRONICALLY FROM THE COMPANY THROUGH THE XT MODEL.

IBM ALSO INTRODUCED NEW SOFTWARE FOR THE PERSONAL COMPUTER AND INTRODUCED NEW MODELS OF ITS 3270 SERIES OF DISPLAY STATIONS, INCLUDING ONE THAT USES NEW NEON AND ARGON GAS PANEL TECHNOLOGY.

MEANWHILE, A COMPANY SPOKESMAN CONFIRMED THAT IBM HAD ENDED PRODUCTION IN THE LAST WEEK OR SO OF THE LOWEST-PRICED IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER, WITH A BUILT-IN CAPACITY OF MORE THAN 16,000 CHARACTERS OF MEMORY.