And now IBM is in the sub $1k computer market.
biz.yahoo.com
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 6, 1997--
From the best $999 PC available, to the Power of the New 300
MHz Intel Pentium(R) II, IBM(R) Aptiva(TM) has Something for
Almost Every Family
Broadening its line of award-winning Aptiva home PCs, IBM today announced two new models -- the Aptiva E16 and Aptiva L71. These new models represent expansion of IBM's home PC leadership role across a broad price and technology spectrum.
Priced at $999, the Aptiva E16 is designed for first-time buyers who want an affordable, state-of-the-art, multimedia PC for the family or work, or second-time buyers who want the best value in an additional home PC. Priced under $2500 and incorporating the absolute latest in technologies, the Aptiva L71 is designed with true power users in mind, meeting their desires for the latest, most advanced technologies available in a multimedia home PC.
''IBM Aptiva has long been recognized for delivering the best in multimedia technology to the consumer marketplace,'' said Jim Firestone, general manager of the IBM Consumer Division. ''With the introduction of these two models we are broadening our Aptiva family, offering continued leadership at the top of the market, while establishing IBM as a leader in providing competitive technology solutions at price points below $1,000.''
Industry Leading Multimedia at $999
The Aptiva E16 is a breakthrough in providing consumers with category leading performance. With powerful technologies including an MMX(TM)-Enhanced 166MHz2 processor, hardware-based video graphics acceleration and a dedicated audio processor, the E16 offers features unmatched by the competition at the $999 price point. Similar to systems normally sold at higher price points the E16 also includes technologies, such as 256k L2 cache, a 20X-8.6X CD-ROM3, K56 Flex-protocol modem4, ATI Rage II 3D graphics, and two USB ports. Additionally, the E16 utilizes 16MB of high-performance SDRAM, compared with some PCs using older, slower EDO technology. Unlike other PCs in this price range, IBM has built the E16 as a full-sized mini-tower, offering consumers the expandability available on all Aptiva PCs. Finally, the E16 comes with the quality, reliability and assurances that consumers have come to expect from IBM. It is backed by all of the world-class support and services IBM has to offer.
''For months IBM has been telling us that they weren't going to play in the sub-$1,000 market without delivering a fully featured multimedia PC,'' said Tim Bajarin, President, Creative Strategies Consulting. ''With the introduction of the E16, IBM is offering a product with superior performance that upholds their reputation for multimedia excellence while delivering positive returns to their overall business model.''
IBM has been distributing the Aptiva E16 since October in anticipation of retail advertising that will break in the coming days.
''Office Max is excited to be offering the powerful Aptiva E16 at an attractive price point,'' said Walter Rausch, senior vice president, group merchandising manager for Office Max. ''We have been working closely with IBM to bring this quality product to market for the holiday selling season.''
Traditional Aptiva Power and Performance
The new L71 features Aptiva's most advanced multimedia performance and technology. Equipped with the latest and fastest 300MHz Intel Pentium(R) II processor, 6.4GB5 hard disk, DVD II drive, K56 Flex-protocol modem, 32MB of high-performance SDRAM, an ATI Rage-Pro video graphics system with 2X AGP6, and a custom-designed Bose(R) sound system featuring Bose TrueSpace(TM) processing system, the L71 offers consumers more power than ever before. Complementing its cutting-edge technologies, the L71 comes with the highly regarded IBM EZ Buttons keyboard, IBM's exclusive ScrollPoint(TM) mouse, the Access Aptiva user-environment and is loaded with Aptiva Photo Director from IBM and Kodak, all of which make the Aptiva L71 easier to use. The Aptiva L71 is priced at $2,499 and is available at leading retailers nationwide.
Plus...IBM Owner Privileges
When consumers purchase either an Aptiva E16 or L71, they are automatically qualified for a fee-waived, $100 one-year membership to IBM's new Owner Privileges program. Owner Privileges delivers valuable benefits to Aptiva owners in four key areas: service, protection, discounts and advice. Within these four privilege areas, IBM provides Aptiva users with preferred service, special deals on accessories and software, as well as advice, technical assistance and training that enables them to get more from their home computing experience. For more information, call 1-888-Privileges or visit our web site at www.pc.ibm.com/privileges.
Award-Winning IBM Aptiva
IBM's Aptiva family has been widely recognized by noted industry publications and associations, including ComputerLife, Family PC and HomePC for its leading-edge technology, broad range of software and innovative design. The IBM Aptiva S Series has won numerous awards and industry accolades, including the IDEA (Industrial Design Excellence Award) from BusinessWeek and the Industrial Designers Society of America, the iF (industrie Forum) Product Design award at CeBIT, PC/Computing's ''1996 MVP Award,'' Popular Science's ''Best of What's New Award,'' Windows Sources' ''Stellar Award,'' and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) ''Innovations Award'' for both 1996 and 1997. Additionally, IBM recently won the 1997 PC Magazine Readers' Choice award for service and reliability, making this IBM's fifth year in a row to win this award. For more information about IBM Aptiva PCs, visit the IBM Aptiva home page on the World Wide Web at us.pc.ibm.com or call 1-800-426-7235 ext. 4340.
IBM, Aptiva, ScrollPoint and Owner Privileges are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation Pentium and MMX are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation Bose and TrueSpace are trademarks or registered trademarks of Bose Corporation All other trademarks or registered trademarks are properties of their respective owners
All prices are estimated reseller prices to end users; actual reseller prices may vary. Prices do not include monitor.
2 Internal clock speed only, not application performance; many factors affect application performance
3 Variable read rate. Actual playback speed will vary depending on many factors and is often less than the maximum possible
4 K56 Flex modems are designed to be capable of receiving data up to 56 Kbps from a K56 Flex compatible service provider and transmitting data up to 33.6 Kbps; public networks currently limit maximum download speeds to about 56 Kbps; actual speeds depend on many factors and are often less than the maximum possible
5 GB = Gigabytes or billions of bytes of information
6 AGP = advanced graphics port
7 IBM Owner Privileges is available exclusively for Aptiva owners. First-year membership fee of $100 US/$130 CAN is waived for consumers who purchase and register their Aptiva from September 4, 1997 through March 1, 1998. Membership is valid for one year from date of purchase of the Aptiva. Membership renewal may be purchased for $20 US/$25 CAN for one-year term upon expiration of the first-year membership. Preferred call handling is not available during renewal period. Membership in Owner Privileges does not extend warranty enrollment in any way. Registration of the Aptiva is a condition to obtain membership. The Owner Privileges program is available only in the United States and Canada. Terms and conditions are included in a membership kit; please review carefully. IBM reserves the right to change, modify or cancel this program at any time |
