★ PEOPLES ★ AMSTRAD - PLANS FOR 1987 (POPULAR COMPUTING WEEKLY) ★ |
Amstrad - plans for 1987 (Popular Computing Weekly) |
AMSTRAD is planning improvements to its current range of computers, to be launched towards the end of next year. Chief among the forthcoming products are new versions of the PC 1512 range and a follow-up to the PCW range. Amstrad hopes that the new PC clones will be even cheaper than the 1512s, and is planning to achieve this by designing many of the components in-house, rather than using existing third party components, particularly with the hard disc versions. "Amstrad is looking to design its own components and while this would be a departure for the company, it is a concept which needs to be looked at very closely,” said an Amstrad spokesman. The new word processing micro is due to be released towards the end of 1987. Amstrad would give no details about the machine, but it would appear that it will take the form of a substantial redesign and upgrade - both hardware and software - to the existing machine. "Given the success of the PCW range, there is no question of us saying that's it. Their sales warrant further examination of the range," the spokesman continued. At the lower end of the market, Amstrad is concentrating on the Spectrum Plus 2 to cater for the games playing sector, and has not ruled out the possibility of price-cutting in the face of potential competition from the forthcoming games consoles. "The Plus 2 is currently competitively priced, but if market conditions changed, then we would look at that option," concluded the spokesman. Of course, if games consoles were to take off in a big way, as Atari certainly believes is on the cards, Amstrad could compete in that market by producing its own. Popular Computing Weekly (1986-11)
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