Announcing Acorn's A4 Portable - "... a quart in a pint pot"

Acorn Computers has announced the launch of its first portable 
notebook computer - the Acorn A4.

The A4 - so called because its footprint is exactly the size of an 
A4 sheet of paper - utilises an ARM 32-bit RISC processor that has
 recently won for Acorn the 1992 Queen's Award for Technology. 

The A4 will be available in two versions - a base model with 2MB of 
RAM as standard and with a 2MB floppy disc drive, and a 4MB model 
that includes a 60MB IDE hard disc. 

In terms of product positioning, the Acorn A4 (which runs at 12mips) 
is as powerful as Apple's top-of-the-range PowerBook 170 - but at 
only half its price, and is equivalent in performance to a 486-based 
PC but at a 386sx price. 

The A4 runs Acorn's latest proprietary operating system - RISC OS3 - 
ensuring compatibility with Acorn's large installed base of RISC 
computers which has grown exponentially since 1987.  RISC OS is a 
fully multitasking operating system with an integral window GUI 
supplied as standard. 

But in addition, because of the ARM 3 chip's processing power, DOS 
programs can be run at the same time and within the same 
multitasking environment as RISC OS programs. This fact alone allows 
the easy interchange of  text and graphics between DOS-based 
programs and RISC OS applications.

Unlike conventional PCs, the Acorn A4 has its operating system in 
ROM, as well as eight commonly used applications (including a 
versatile text editor and a drawing package) which means that no 
disc space is used for their storage and that they are all instantly 
available. 

Acorn's Marketing Director, Mike O'Riordan, said he envisaged strong 
demand from both the Educational and Consumer sectors. "What is 
particularly impressive is that the A4 boasts the full power of our 
highly successful A5000 computer, yet everything is packed into only 
a fraction of the volume. It really is a quart packed into a pint 
pot!
"Acorn is already the number one supplier into Education and the 
launch of our portable will further enhance our range within this 
key market area.

"The Consumer Market, on the other hand will welcome the benefits of 
RISC technology and the ease of use that it provides the end user in 
terms of a simple, yet powerful, working environment that leaves the 
likes of Windows 3 standing!

Bob Coates, Acorn's General Manager for Market Development, picked 
up the theme. "We see the A4 as having particular appeal to parents, 
small businesses and professionals alike who will immediately 
appreciate the benefits of our established current range of 
computers, but now in a portable format."

Acorn's General Manager of Education, Peter Talbot, said "Quite 
simply, this has to be a major consideration for schools planning 
their IT purchasing requirements. The A4 will find a place as a 
departmental resource,  for project work both within the school 
environment as well as in the field, for specialist subject areas 
and even for those with special needs. 

"It will also be purchased by lecturers, teachers and students alike 
as a personal productivity tool which can easily be carried around 
between the home and educational environment."

The cost of the entry level A4 is £1,399 ex VAT with a special price 
for educational establishments of £1,099. The higher level 4MB RAM 
with 60MB hard disc version costs £1,699 or £1,399 for education. 

Volume shipment of the two models together with their complete range 
of supporting peripherals is planned for September onwards. 

Ends

Issued by:
Brian Salter
Corporate Affairs Manager
Acorn Computers
Fulbourn Road
Cherry Hinton
Cambridge CB1 4JN
Tel 0223 245200