Acorn Targets new Markets with Major Products Launch Acorn Computers Limited has unveiled a strategy designed to enlarge its market presence significantly by exploiting the power and maturity of its 32-bit RISC computers. The strategy includes strengthening Acorn's hold on the UK education market (where nine out of every ten schools in the UK already use Acorn equipment) and at the same time establishing a significant presence in the UK consumer and professional markets. In addition, Acorn's overseas operations are being targeted for major growth. As the first step towards implementing the strategy, Acorn today revealed a line-up of 14 new products, introduced significant changes to its reseller channels and launched a new partnership designed to strengthen its support services for schools throughout the country. In introducing these changes, Acorn's Managing Director Sam Wauchope spoke of the maturity of the technologies on which Acorn products are based now being more widely recognised. "The performance of our ARM processors, coupled with the functionality and consistency of our RISC OS operating system, have created an environment comfortable for novices to learn in, but flexible and powerful enough for the professional user. Software developers also have appreciated these features as well as our development support, and it is our partnerships with them which have created the wealth of software available for our machines today" he said. The new products launched today included: An improved and extended A3000 range - based on the new ARM250 processor, which is 1.4 times faster than a 33 MHz 386DX - more product configurations with up to 4 MB of RAM and greater expansion capability, including options with fast internal 60 MB hard drives. Prices start at #499 including VAT. A new A4000 series - again based on the ARM250, but in a professional three-box system (including choice of monitor types). The A4000 incorporates an 80MB hard drive and allows the use of low-cost mini-expansion cards for the first time in an Acorn three-box system. New and improved versions of the already popular A5000 range - all based on the ARM3 processor which delivers performance equivalent to a 486 processor (over 20,000 Dhrystones). Configuration options now include models with 2MB RAM/80MB hard drive, 4MB/120MB and two network models with no hard drive but the necessary network cards for Ethernet or Acorn's own low-cost Econet. All of the above products incorporate RISC OS 3, the latest release of Acorn's highly-acclaimed operating system. A new release of Acorn's Level 4 Fileserver - the first product in its Universal Networking strategy which enables different computer types to be interconnected by using the concept of Open Systems, and incorporating industry standards such as TCP/IP. In addition to the desktop computers unveiled, Acorn showed off its new Pocket Book computer offering functionality required to serve the basic computing needs of every child. Today's launch also emphasised the success already achieved by the Acorn A4, the ARM3 - powered notebook range launched on 1st July. Acorn is targeting markets beyond its traditional heartland of education with these new products. There are a number of packaged offerings aimed at various segments of the home market, from the Family Solution through the well-established Learning Curves to The Home Office for personal productivity. In the professional arena, a range of Publishing Systems has been created and more offerings of this style and standard are promised. Considerable success has already been achieved in this area with major sales, and partnerships with third parties from the printing and publishing industries already established. Overseas, Acorn's own operations in Australia and New Zealand are developing strongly, and the new products will be used to support new initiatives in key European countries. The product pricing announced today also confirmed Acorn's entry into the volume home market, with the entry-level Family Solution priced at #499 incl. VAT. The full range of products is aggressively positioned with the new products slotting in alongside existing models, enhanced but also reduced in price. For instance, the A5000 4MB 120HD with four expansion slots and multiscan monitor, is priced at #1,599 ex VAT. "We remain the only company so far selling products designed to offer the advantages of RISC processing to the individual", said Sam Wauchope. "Our new pricing policy will emphasise this and allow even more people to take advantage of the wealth of software now established for our products". To address these new markets, Acorn has made major changes to its reseller channels. It will now supply and support directly some 50 dealers, including those committed to the education market. Hugh Symons Distribution will operate as Acorn's distributor for the consumer market, supplying a consumer dealer base of some 300 dealers. Acorn's new consumer range will also be available through all the major High Street retailers specialising in computers, including Dixons, Curry's and The John Lewis Partnership, and through major catalogues such as Littlewoods, GUS and Argos. In total, Acorn computers will be available through more than 1,000 U.K. High Street outlets in the run-up to Christmas. In launching this major initiative, Sam Wauchope said "It is clear there remains great demand for the right computing products in this country and overseas. It is clear also that customers are increasingly selective in what they buy. They want computers with the power, the flexibility and the software to do the job; they want reliability and quality, and they want a supplier who will support them over the life of the product. Acorn has demonstrated all of these capabilities together with a development and upgrade strategy that ensures their investment will give them value long after competitors' products are forgotten". "Today marks a major change of pace for Acorn." he continued. "We remain committed to the education market and to expanding our market share of over 50%; but we are also committing the resources to exploit more widely the mature and powerful product range we have today, and the future products to come from our extensive research and development programme. Keep a close eye on Acorn over the coming months. The initiatives announced today for the consumer and professional markets will only be the first, in this country and overseas, as Acorn grows over the next few years to become an internationally-recognised player in the computer industry." Ends _______________________________________________________________________________ aglover@acorn.co.uk, moderator of comp.sys.acorn.announce. Submissions to announce-request@acorn.co.uk, other related mail to announcer@acorn.co.uk.