Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site eosp1.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!ulysses!princeton!eosp1!mcmillan From: mcmillan@eosp1.UUCP (John McMillan) Newsgroups: net.micro Subject: Re: IBM P O R T A B L E COMPUTER Message-ID: <606@eosp1.UUCP> Date: Tue, 21-Feb-84 22:34:57 EST Article-I.D.: eosp1.606 Posted: Tue Feb 21 22:34:57 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 23-Feb-84 01:41:35 EST References: <1720@rlgvax.UUCP> Organization: Exxon Office Systems, Princeton, NJ Lines: 27 The IBM portable will be cheaper than the PC, it seems. Competitors will have to come to terms with the lowered price. The IBM portable will weigh 30 pounds. Now that's a nice target to compete with. The IBM portable will not be available in quantity for quite a while. The portable competitors will therefore temporarily BENEFIT from the announcement because: - IBM has now blessed the concept Later on, when IBM's shipments build up, the other potable manufacturers will be in trouble. I think that Compaq will be best off among the competitors, since: - They have the portable hard disk - They have not yet committed themselves regarding giveaway software. One of the cheapest ways to compete on price is to give away software with the machine. Compaq hasn't done this yet (I believe). The strategy is open to them, and they can take more time to try to choose what software to give away. - Toby Robison allegra!eosp1!robison decvax!ittvax!eosp1!robison princeton!eosp1!robison (NOTE! NOT McMillan; Robison.)