Acorn Brings 'One Per Child' Ideal Closer With Pocket Book Push For Autumn Term

1 September 1995

Acorn Computers, one of the world's leading suppliers of information technology to education, is supporting schools in their adoption of a 'one computer per child' policy by cutting prices and expanding its range of handheld Pocket Book computers. Acorn, a world leader in educational palmtop technology *, is also introducing new promotions this autumn to support the extended range.

The entry level Pocket Book II now costs as little as £205.00 ex VAT and a new top of the range Pocket Book II with 1MB of memory has been introduced. Priced at £285.00 ex VAT, the new model provides increased flexibility by allowing users to store more information internally without the need for memory upgrades and to keep larger files and applications open and running simultaneously.

Education prices for Pocket Book Class Packs, consisting of 10 x Pocket Book II 256K, a mains adaptor, desktop link and parallel printer link, have also been reduced to £2,050.00. Following feedback from educationalists, Acorn has launched a new set of School Packs made up of 100 Pocket Book II computers and 10 of each of the peripherals, as well as Site Packs consisting of 1000 Pocket Books, which come with 100 of each peripheral. Schools purchasing Pocket Books in bulk packs will receive significant cost savings compared to schools buying single Pocket Books. All schools that have participated in this year's Tesco Computers for Schools scheme are also eligible for a free Pocket Book II 256K if they buy a 256K Class Pack before 31 December 1995.

Henry Howarth, Product Marketing Manager for Pocket Book, comments:

"Many schools are using Pocket Books with the whole class - handing them out at the start of a lesson, collecting them back at the end and then passing them on for another class to use. We are also starting to see schools equipping entire years with Pocket Books. In the future, all schoolchildren from five to eighteen are likely to have their own palmtop, in the same way as calculators are almost universal. By reducing prices, offering bulk discounts and introducing new promotions, Acorn is creating the right environment for this to happen and ensuring the Pocket Book offers unbeatable value for money."
A new promotion from Acorn in Arc, Acorn's termly magazine for education, gives teachers the opportunity to try out the Pocket Book free of charge for two months. Based on the premise that once people get a Pocket Book in their hands they are reluctant to let it go, after two months' trial teachers can either return the Pocket Book II 256K under no obligation, purchase it at the standard price, or, if their school purchases a Class Pack within those two months, keep the Pocket Book free of charge.

To support the growing Pocket Book user base, Acorn is working with a number of Acorn in Education Centres (AECs) to provide Pocket Book training to teachers. Participants can keep the Pocket Book they used during the course for two weeks. After this time they can either purchase it or return it under no obligation.

Acorn has also announced an official Pocket Book User Group. Pocket Book users subscribing to the Group will be offered telephone support, access to a bulletin board carrying educational software and a quarterly newsletter. The Pocket Book User Group is independent but will be run in association with Acorn. For further details, call the Pocket Book User Group on 01752 262627. Acorn is currently offering a year's free 1996 subscription to the User Group for one teacher at every school purchasing a Class Pack before the end of the year.

Pocket Book II incorporates a word processor, spreadsheet, database, calculator, clock and alarm, diary, spellchecker & thesaurus, sound and voice recorder, Plotter which plots mathematical equations and World which shows international time zones, dialling codes and maps. About the size of a paperback book, the Pocket Book is light and strong enough to be carried safely and easily from lesson to lesson or to and from school in a bag or blazer pocket and can be used for homework, in the classroom and on field trips to collect and record data. The Pocket Book is also proving to be an ideal tool for teachers to record pupil progress and achievement, plan lessons and timetables, draft curriculum materials and take notes in meetings.

* Acorn has sold over 17,000 Pocket Books to education worldwide to date.

Notes to editors:

Founded in 1978, Acorn Computers Ltd designs, develops and markets appropriate technologies to identified markets and is one of the world's leading suppliers of information technology to education. The first supplier of low-cost 32-bit RISC based personal computers in 1987, Acorn remains one of the most cost-effective research and development organisations in the industry, renowned for technology innovation which has led to the formation of Advanced RISC Machines Ltd and Online Media.

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 objective to design interactive multimedia products.

For customer enquiries, please contact Acorn Computers Ltd on 01223 254222

Pocket Book Price List

                                              inc VAT   exc VAT

AHB05     Pocket Book II 256K                 240.88    205.00
AHB07     Pocket Book II 1MB                  334.88    285.00

AHA20     128K RAM Disc                        49.95     42.51
AHA21     256K Flash Disc                      54.95     46.77
AHA22     512K Flash Disc                      89.95     76.55
AHA30     A-link                               49.95     42.51
AHA31     Parallel Link                        29.95     25.49
AHA35     Mains Adaptor                        14.95     12.72
AHA36     PC Link                              69.95     59.53
AHA37     M Link                               79.95     68.04

AHB12     Pocket Book II 256K Class Pack (10 units)    2408.75   2050.00
AHB13     Pocket Book II 256K School Pack(100 units)  23500.00  20000.00
AHB14     Pocket Book II 256K Site Pack (1000 units) 226187.50 192500.00

AHB17     Pocket Book II 1MB Class Pack (10 units)     3348.75   2850.00
AHB18     Pocket Book II 1MB School Pack(100 units)   32312.50  27500.00
AHB19     Pocket Book II 1MB Site Pack (1000 units)  305500.00 260000.00

© 1995 Acorn Computer Group plc.
Design: © 1995 Cave Rock Software Ltd.