40417 21APR88-1237 Product Reviews & Announcement
Tandy announces PS/2 compatible and new
From: EDITORS To: ALL
By LONNIE FALK
Rainbow Editor and Publisher
NEW YORK CITY — Tandy Corporation introduced a new computer today, the 5000
MC, a
80386-based MS-DOS machine compatible with IBM’s Micro Channel
Architecture that will run the OS/2 operating system.
Tandy also announced a number of options for the new 5000,
including ultra-high density hard disk drives, VGA on the
motherboard and all running at 20 MHz. The system, chairman John
Roach said, will not violate any copyrights or licenses of other
computer manufacturers “that we are aware of.” The implication
was that Tandy and IBM had agreed on licensing fees for the Tandy
product.
The 5000 will retail for $4999 in its base configuration with a
version with an 84 megabyte hard drive available for $6999.
Numerous other configurations will be available — including
those with hard drives with capacities up to 344 megabytes.
Tandy also announced it has invented a new read and write Compact
Disc technology. The technology, called THOR, will allow CDs to
be recorded in the home or office.
The THOR technology — which may be available commercially in as
little as 18 months — has vast implications in the computer,
audio and video fields. THOR is technically compatible with
present CD formats, meaning it can — once available — be played
in present Compact Disc players. (Other WORM systems require a
special player to read their discs.)
Roach said he expects sales from the new technology to increase
Tandy profits by “hundreds of millions” of dollars.
Insofar as computers are concerned, Roach said the read/write
speeds from the new media should be at least as fast as from
present floppy or hard disks.
40499 24APR88-1941 Product Reviews & Announcement
RE: Tandy announces PS/2 compatible and (Re: Msg 40417)
From: POLTERGEIST To: ALL
Nothing for the CoCo though…. (sigh)
40513 25APR88-0318 Product Reviews & Announcement
RE: Tandy announces PS/2 compatible and (Re: Msg 40499)
From: MARTYGOODMAN To: POLTERGEIST
It is my understanding that the CoCo will be removed from
the 1989 Tandy COMPUTER catalog, and no longer be supported
at Tandy COMPUTER CENTERS. It will appear in the 1989
general Radio Shack catalog, and will still be sold at
Radio Shack stores (not Computer Centers). —marty
40517 25APR88-1008 Product Reviews & Announcement
RE: Tandy announces PS/2 compatible and (Re: Msg 40513)
From: DONHUTCHISON To: MARTYGOODMAN
That sounds just FINE to me. It always seemed to me that the computer
centers were more interested in selling BUSINESS systems like the Model 2
or 4 than decent computers like the CoCo.
Plus… there are a heckuva lot more R/S retail outlets than Computer
Centers, I think.
Don
40523 25APR88-1906 Product Reviews & Announcement
RE: Tandy announces PS/2 compatible and (Re: Msg 40517)
From: DOCTORASCII To: DONHUTCHISON
Those computer centers couldn’t stand the CoCo competition.
40541 25APR88-2356 Product Reviews & Announcement
RE: Tandy announces PS/2 compatible and (Re: Msg 40517)
From: MARTYGOODMAN To: DONHUTCHISON
As Steve B pointed out here… the CoCo was the lowest price and profit
item at Computer Centers. Indeed, according to some versions
of the story that I heard, the computer centers literally
revolted against Tandy orders to continue to carry and support
the Coco… they wanted NOTHING to do with it. At the retail
stores, it is a respectable sale,… and so should
receive more respectful treatment.
—marty
40561 26APR88-2132 Product Reviews & Announcement
RE: Tandy announces PS/2 compatible and (Re: Msg 40517)
From: POLTERGEIST To: DONHUTCHISON
I have no qualms about that. There are, indeed, more retail outlets than
Computer Centers. I can still order Tandy OS-9 products through them if
certain stores don’t have them available.
40563 26APR88-2147 Product Reviews & Announcement
RE: Tandy announces PS/2 compatible and (Re: Msg 40561)
From: POLTERGEIST To: MARTYGOODMAN
Logical decesion. The number of retail outlets far outweigh the number of).
computer centers. I have heard other rumors that Tandy will be releasing
Modula-2, Pilot, and something called Mumps (a virus program, perhaps
If the computer centers aren’t distributing the CoCo anymore, would that mean
that they wouldn’t ship out CoCo’s to repair centers? I always took my
machines to one.