Panasonic Introduces Computer

Abstract

The new Panasonic computer was one of many new I.B.M.-compatible machines shown here at the show. Since I.B.M. introduced its personal computer in 1981, the industry has rapidly adopted that design. Many companies are thus trying to offer machines that can run the software written for the I.B.M. computer but sell for a lower price or offer additional features, such as portability, more memory or more speed.

The Sperry Corporation also introduced an I.B.M.-compatible personal computer that it said could operate 50 percent faster than the I.B.M. model. The ITT Corporation, Televideo Systems and the Kaypro Corporation are among the other manufacturers selling new I.B.M.-compatible machines here.

The Panasonic Company, a division of Japan's Matsushita Electric Company, yesterday introduced a portable computer that some analysts said could be the most successful Japanese entry to date in the American market.

The new machine is about the size of a small suitcase, and it can run most of the programs written for the International Business Machine Personal Computer. The Panasonic machine appears to be priced lower than many other computers that can use I.B.M. programs.

The new machine was introduced here on the first day of Comdex, the premier trade show of the personal computer industry. The five-day show sprawls over the Las Vegas Convention Center, a new annex and three hotels, drawing 1,400 exhibitors and more than 80,000 spectators.

Other Entries

The new Panasonic computer was one of many new I.B.M.-compatible machines shown here at the show. Since I.B.M. introduced its personal computer in 1981, the industry has rapidly adopted that design. Many companies are thus trying to offer machines that can run the software written for the I.B.M. computer but sell for a lower price or offer additional features, such as portability, more memory or more speed.

The Sperry Corporation also introduced an I.B.M.-compatible personal computer that it said could operate 50 percent faster than the I.B.M. model. The ITT Corporation, Televideo Systems and the Kaypro Corporation are among the other manufacturers selling new I.B.M.-compatible machines here.

Pressure on Manufacturers

The growing competition puts pressure on existing manufacturers in that market, such as the Compaq Computer Corporation, which is preparing to make its first public stock offering soon. Compaq, the leader in the I.B.M.-compatible computer business, sold more than 28,000 computers and had revenues of $59 million in the first nine months of 1983, its first year of business.

The Senior Partner, as the new Panasonic computer is called, comes with 128K bytes, or 128,000 characters, of internal memory and a single floppy disk drive capable of storing an additional 320,000 characters. It includes a thermal printer, which uses heat to print on special paper, and six popular software programs.

The computer, which will be available in March, will sell for $2,500.

By contrast, the Compaq computer sells for $3,000 in a version that has the same amount of memory as the Panasonic machine, but which does not include the printer and software.

Compaq however, has a well-established network of about 800 dealers, while Panasonic is only starting to recruit dealers. Panasonic plans to sell the machines through dealers and not through the mass merchants that handle its consumer electronics products.

Panasonic's strategy is the one that was expected to be used by Japanese companies, which have been surprisingly unsuccessful at penetrating the American market for personal computers because of an absence of software for the Japanese machines and lack of distribution. Building machines to use the I.B.M. software takes care of the software problem and allows the manufacturers to develop computers that can compete on the basis of price.