newsbytes@clarinet.com (01/14/90)
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1990 JAN 10 (NB) -- Hewlett-Packard has unveiled its largest new product array in history -- 24 models, all but one RISC, or reduced-instruction-set-computer-based machines, ranging in price from $18,000 to $1 million. The introductions are designed to dispel rumors that the minicomputer or mid-range computer system, the bulk of HP's revenues, is dead, having been replaced by powerful PCs. "You've heard that the minicomputer business is dead or dying," said HP President and Chief Executive Officer John A. Young. "We don't believe that assessment." The machines, all members of the HP 3000 or HP 9000 product lines, are said to have up to four times faster speeds than their predecessors, thanks to the RISC-based architecture called HP Precision Architecture. The mid-range/high-end models feature multiple processors. One, the Model 870S/200, runs at 95 million instructions per second and is said by HP to cost less than a competing DEC VAX 9000. While most analysts were breath-taken with the announcements, some expressed concerns over two immediate hurdles. One is that most of the models aren't expected to be shipped until December 1990. The other is Hewlett-Packard's proprietary operating system, which is not currently compatible with Unix, the industry standard in minis. (Wendy Woods/19900111)