bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

COMPUTING giant IBM last week overhauled its workstation range with the launch of seven new systems, including two based on the new PowerPC microprocessor.

  The move was seen as a bid to improve IBM's lacklustre market share, compared to those of Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard.

  The new reduced-instruction-set computing (RISC) RS/6000 workstations and servers are aimed squarely at improving IBM's fourth place in the US$11 billion worldwide UNIX workstation market.

  The seven new models are targeted at both the technical market of engineers and users of computers-aided design (CAD) technologies, as well as commercial applications, such as powerful dealing room number-crunchers.

  ''We were basically the last guys to get started in the workstation market, but we're catching up,'' said IBM Greater China Group business development manager Lai Yee-chong.

  ''And we're No 1 in commercial [applications],'' Mr Lai said.

  IBM announced two graphics workstations, which use the PowerPC 601 chip, bringing the number of IBM workstations using the chip to four.

   Apple uses the same chip in its Power Macintosh computers, which were launched in March.

  The PowerPC architecture was developed jointly by IBM, Apple and Motorola.

  Two other workstations are based on the Power2 processor - a newer version of the chips that had been used in the RS/6000 range since 1990.

  Much of the technology behind the chips was transferred by IBM to the PowerPC joint development project.

  Also announced were several workstation servers, designed to anchor a network of other systems. These include a low-end model using the PowerPC 601 chip and more powerful systems based on the Power2.

  ''With these boxes, we hope to turn around [IBM's] lagging position in workstations,'' Mr Lai said.

   ''We think we definitely have the product to do that now.''   Despite much fanfare surrounding the new system launch, at least one group of industry researchers remained unconvinced that the PowerPC had delivered on promises.

  According to Dataquest workstation research director Dominic Ricchetti, the systems had not lived up to a claim of higher performance and lower cost when compared to Intel's x86 range of chips that now dominate the PC market.

  ''The bang for the buck is not yet demonstrated with the PowerPC,'' Mr Ricchetti said.

  The new machines cost about US$13,000 for the entry-level PowerPC model and more than $100,000 for high-end multiprocessor server machines.

  One of the biggest hurdles for PowerPC is its lack of direct compatibility with Microsoft DOS and Windows operating systems on which most PCs are based.

   The machines will run DOS and Windows applications in emulation-mode, but only at the cost of considerable performance.

  Microsoft was expected to unveil a low-memory version of its Windows NT around mid-year, which would make it possible to run popular applications like Microsoft Office on the PowerPC, Mr Ricchetti said.

  ''Then the gap [between PowerPC-based systems and Pentium-based systems] does close,'' the analyst said.

    IBM also demonstrated to analysts a PowerPC-based personal computer that was expected to be unveiled later this year, Mr Ricchetti said.

  ''That could provide life for the PowerPC,'' he said.



IBM gets ready for comeback