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Expanding market for personal computers
Expanding marketfor personalcomputers As several articles in this month’s Data indicate, the market for personal computers is growing fast. Personal computers are being integrated into the product strategy of almost all major computer vendors, not as home or hobby units but rather as inexpensive individual workstations for the business market. Among the advantages of personal computers are their price, and the flexibility they offer to managers who are able to make purchases outside the control of the DP department. However, DP managers are beginning to recognize this and are keen to become involved in company purchasing policies for &ture personal computer use. According to a recent survey by International Resource Development Inc., the corporate DP department in many firms thinks personal computers are such a good idea they’ll soon be helping to buy them for users in the company. Manufacturers such as Xerox, IBM and Apple are encouraging the large-scale buying of personal computers by offering discounts of between 5 and 20% on volume purchases.
Processing
The involvement of the DP manager will, the report argues, tend to favour m~~acturers with which DP managers are familiar and which offer broader-based support programmes, e.g. IBM, Xerox, DEC and HewlettPackard. Though it is un~ely that any one vendor will dominate the market. Software portability and compatibility are key issues which may slow down the rate of uptake of personal computers. However this will be balanced by ease of use, connectivity and lower prices. The extent of interest in micre computers for personal use was indicated by the record attendance of over 40 000 visitors at the recent Fifth Personal Computer World Show held at the Barbican Centre, London, UK On show were personal computers for business, scientific and educational needs, as well as stands devoted to hobbyist and home-based micros. However, judging by the vast amount of games/hobbyist software being exhibited, it is far more profitable for manufacturers to develop software for home use rather than for business applications.
data processing
Commuter-aided --
1
engineering As the techniques and technology involved in computer-aided design become more widespread many more companies are investigat~g the possibilities of automating the design of production systems. A move which will undoubtedly hasten this development is the setting up of six computer-aided engineering (CAE) productivity centres in Hitchin (UK), Paris, Wiesbaden, San Diego, Detroit and Tokyo. The centres, which offer manufacturers a range of CAE and CAD/CAM facilities designed to reduce the cost of product design, NC programming, design of tools and quality control and programming, have been set up by CAE International, a joint venture company formed by General Electric (GE) and Structural Dynamics Research Corporation. Software backup is provided by Geisco on its global network. CAE is being sold to Americans by
~0124 no 8
October 1982
Computervision’s solid modeliing system for engineers.
GE as the salvation of American there are no true systems of this kind manufacturing, and as the final phase marketed either on a product basis or in totally automating the factory of the as packaged systems sold to companies future. and most manufacturing operations A recent market analysis by Creative i have a very long way to go before they Strategies International, California, reach the GE vision of network linked USA, suggests that computer integrated operations management integrated with manufacture will open up a $4.5 billion CAR, CAD and CAM and an intelligent market by 1987. However, at present, warehouse system.
3
Frenchbanks useTranspac The French national packet-switched communication? service Transpac, is being used to provide a realtime network for customers in the finance and banking business. Cogefimo, a finance house, and Banque La Henin, a deposit bank, will be cooperating in the use of the network, which through NCR I-9040 computers in 12 branches, will provide instant access from the various branches to the central files without the delay previously necessary when accessing centrally-held information. Transpac, which opened in 1978, has almost 10 000 installed ports and over 6 000 operational subscribers. M.
IBMnews IBM, according to a recent report by Strategic Incorporated, will achieve worldwide revenues of $100 billion by 1990. IBM’s product strategy can be divided into four major areas: distributed data processing, office automation, computer/communications services and consumer products, ofwhich DDP contributes the greatest revenues. In the office automation area IBM will be integrating both existing and new products within local area networks. Among the new products will be low-cost OCR devices and, eventually, voice recognition systems. Afier a late entry into the personal computer market, IBM is rapidly gaining ground, with sales in the USA expected to give IBM 23% of the market by 1985. In the UK, sales of IBM’s personal computer are being handled by selfappointed distributors although it is expected that IBM will shortly be
4
Monnet, from Transpac’s technical division, speaking at the Sixth International Conference on Computer Communications, held in London, discussed the extensions to services which are currently being studied by a Transpac team. For private network users, new services under consideration include a systematic failure report in cases where a subscriber’s line has failed, and call redirection when a user link is out of operation. Automatic payment deductions and calling party confidentiality are two proposed services which would benefit public service suppliers and customers. Monnet also underlined the fact that the proposed new services, in particular the possibility of interconnecting a higher variety of terminals, are also expected to generate increased traffic-flow and attract new customers, while offering the basis for expansion on an international basis.
distributing its personal computer itself. IBM obviously did not feel comfortable marketing in the consumer sector but was forced to announce a personal computer to combat the placement of competitive personal where computers they threatened both IBM’s distributed DP and office automation strategies.
Solicitorsform usergroup A group of UK solicitors, all users of one computer system, have recently formed a user group. One of the aims of the new group is to guide the development of new software for the LogAbax computer system. In particular, as Chairman Brian Pettifer points out, the group will suggest new applications and amendments, will provide improved access to the company and offers the opportunity to hear other user’s experiences.
data processing
monitor
PAYE computerization In the UK, ICL has won a second contract for E20M from the Inland Revenue, to supply 18 000 terminals as part of the Pay As You Earn computerization scheme. The company had previously won a E40M contract to supply 47 2966 mainframes over three years. The third and final contract will be for the supply of communications devices such as modems. Apart from the issues ofpreferential contracting raised by this and other deals involving the UK public sector and ICL, fears of job losses in the region of 7 000 to 8 000 are being expressed by the Inland Revenue Staff Federation (IRSF), though this may be offset to some extent by the number of DP staff retained after computerization. Clive Boote, National President of the IRSF, told Data Processing that attempts are being made to negotiate a technology agreement which would ensure a shorter working week with no job loss.
vol 24 no 8
October 1982
Processing
The involvement of the DP manager will, the report argues, tend to favour m~~acturers with which DP managers are familiar and which offer broader-based support programmes, e.g. IBM, Xerox, DEC and HewlettPackard. Though it is un~ely that any one vendor will dominate the market. Software portability and compatibility are key issues which may slow down the rate of uptake of personal computers. However this will be balanced by ease of use, connectivity and lower prices. The extent of interest in micre computers for personal use was indicated by the record attendance of over 40 000 visitors at the recent Fifth Personal Computer World Show held at the Barbican Centre, London, UK On show were personal computers for business, scientific and educational needs, as well as stands devoted to hobbyist and home-based micros. However, judging by the vast amount of games/hobbyist software being exhibited, it is far more profitable for manufacturers to develop software for home use rather than for business applications.
data processing
Commuter-aided --
1
engineering As the techniques and technology involved in computer-aided design become more widespread many more companies are investigat~g the possibilities of automating the design of production systems. A move which will undoubtedly hasten this development is the setting up of six computer-aided engineering (CAE) productivity centres in Hitchin (UK), Paris, Wiesbaden, San Diego, Detroit and Tokyo. The centres, which offer manufacturers a range of CAE and CAD/CAM facilities designed to reduce the cost of product design, NC programming, design of tools and quality control and programming, have been set up by CAE International, a joint venture company formed by General Electric (GE) and Structural Dynamics Research Corporation. Software backup is provided by Geisco on its global network. CAE is being sold to Americans by
~0124 no 8
October 1982
Computervision’s solid modeliing system for engineers.
GE as the salvation of American there are no true systems of this kind manufacturing, and as the final phase marketed either on a product basis or in totally automating the factory of the as packaged systems sold to companies future. and most manufacturing operations A recent market analysis by Creative i have a very long way to go before they Strategies International, California, reach the GE vision of network linked USA, suggests that computer integrated operations management integrated with manufacture will open up a $4.5 billion CAR, CAD and CAM and an intelligent market by 1987. However, at present, warehouse system.
3
Frenchbanks useTranspac The French national packet-switched communication? service Transpac, is being used to provide a realtime network for customers in the finance and banking business. Cogefimo, a finance house, and Banque La Henin, a deposit bank, will be cooperating in the use of the network, which through NCR I-9040 computers in 12 branches, will provide instant access from the various branches to the central files without the delay previously necessary when accessing centrally-held information. Transpac, which opened in 1978, has almost 10 000 installed ports and over 6 000 operational subscribers. M.
IBMnews IBM, according to a recent report by Strategic Incorporated, will achieve worldwide revenues of $100 billion by 1990. IBM’s product strategy can be divided into four major areas: distributed data processing, office automation, computer/communications services and consumer products, ofwhich DDP contributes the greatest revenues. In the office automation area IBM will be integrating both existing and new products within local area networks. Among the new products will be low-cost OCR devices and, eventually, voice recognition systems. Afier a late entry into the personal computer market, IBM is rapidly gaining ground, with sales in the USA expected to give IBM 23% of the market by 1985. In the UK, sales of IBM’s personal computer are being handled by selfappointed distributors although it is expected that IBM will shortly be
4
Monnet, from Transpac’s technical division, speaking at the Sixth International Conference on Computer Communications, held in London, discussed the extensions to services which are currently being studied by a Transpac team. For private network users, new services under consideration include a systematic failure report in cases where a subscriber’s line has failed, and call redirection when a user link is out of operation. Automatic payment deductions and calling party confidentiality are two proposed services which would benefit public service suppliers and customers. Monnet also underlined the fact that the proposed new services, in particular the possibility of interconnecting a higher variety of terminals, are also expected to generate increased traffic-flow and attract new customers, while offering the basis for expansion on an international basis.
distributing its personal computer itself. IBM obviously did not feel comfortable marketing in the consumer sector but was forced to announce a personal computer to combat the placement of competitive personal where computers they threatened both IBM’s distributed DP and office automation strategies.
Solicitorsform usergroup A group of UK solicitors, all users of one computer system, have recently formed a user group. One of the aims of the new group is to guide the development of new software for the LogAbax computer system. In particular, as Chairman Brian Pettifer points out, the group will suggest new applications and amendments, will provide improved access to the company and offers the opportunity to hear other user’s experiences.
data processing
monitor
PAYE computerization In the UK, ICL has won a second contract for E20M from the Inland Revenue, to supply 18 000 terminals as part of the Pay As You Earn computerization scheme. The company had previously won a E40M contract to supply 47 2966 mainframes over three years. The third and final contract will be for the supply of communications devices such as modems. Apart from the issues ofpreferential contracting raised by this and other deals involving the UK public sector and ICL, fears of job losses in the region of 7 000 to 8 000 are being expressed by the Inland Revenue Staff Federation (IRSF), though this may be offset to some extent by the number of DP staff retained after computerization. Clive Boote, National President of the IRSF, told Data Processing that attempts are being made to negotiate a technology agreement which would ensure a shorter working week with no job loss.
vol 24 no 8
October 1982