Acorn Risc PC 486 Card To Take Computing World By Storm
Acorn Computers, the world's first supplier of 32-bit RISC personal computers, has announced details of how Risc PC users can obtain the Risc PC 486 Card, which will be available from April 1995. The card will cost 99 pounds ex VAT for existing Risc PC owners, rising to 199 pounds ex VAT after 3 months. All new purchasers of the Risc PC range will still have the opportunity to buy the card for 99 pounds ex VAT if bought with the computer. Bought separately, the card will cost 199 pounds ex VAT.
Mike O'Riordan, Sales and Marketing Director at Acorn Computers, comments:
"A Risc PC with a PC card is like two computers in one and offers an unbeatable price/performance ratio. As a result there is a lot of pent-up demand for the PC card and we anticipate heavy sales."The Risc PC 486 Card has been developed by Acorn in conjunction with leading Acorn developer, Aleph One and specialist ASIC design company Future Technology Devices International. The card co-exists with an ARM RISC processor card and fits into Acorn's Open Bus enabling PC software to run without emulation. The Risc PC 486 Card will be supplied with an off-the-shelf version of IBM's PC DOS version 6.3, user manual and software drivers which will allow the PC card to exploit the graphics capability of the Risc PC.
Anyone wishing to purchase a Risc PC 486 Card should first contact their Acorn dealer. Customers who have difficulty obtaining a PC card through their dealer may purchase one through Acorn Direct. They should send a cheque for the full price (116 pounds 33 pence inc VAT), made payable to Acorn Direct, to:
Acorn DirectThe Risc PC 486 Card is integral to Acorn's plans to provide its users with access to standard resources. Any Acorn computer can read PC discs, and transfer data using standard file formats for text, numbers and graphics. Now, with the availability of the PC card, Acorn Risc PC users can take advantage of virtually all applications in the PC world whilst retaining the state of the art features of the Acorn desktop environment. Earlier this year, Acorn announced OmniClient, a software product enabling hardware and software to be shared between Acorn computers and other suppliers' systems across PC, Unix and other networks.
Founded in 1978, with 1994 revenues in excess of £50m, Acorn Computers is the leading provider of IT solutions to UK education and was the first supplier of low-cost 32-bit RISC based personal computers in 1987. Acorn works closely with a strong community of industry partners, users and software developers to provide innovative technology solutions for the education, consumer, publishing and international markets.
Acorn Computer Group plc is the holding company for Acorn Computers Limited, Acorn Australia, Acorn New Zealand, Acorn GmbH and Online Media. Acorn Computer Group owns 43% of Advanced RISC Machines Ltd. Online Media, a division of the Acorn Computer Group, was launched in 1994 with the mission to design world class, interactive multimedia products.