Acorn Unveils its Newest Computer - Welcome to the A5000!! Acorn Computers Limited is launching its latest Archimedes state-of-the-art computer system - the A5000. Designed to complement Acorn's current range of Archimedes 32-bit RISC computers, the A5000 translates a high performance specification into flexibility and ease of use for all users, providing a complete solution for all types of computing needs. There are two versions of the A5000 - a 2MB model with a 40MB hard disk, and a 1MB base model. The 2MB model comes with an Acorn 14" multiscan monitor. At the heart of the A5000 is the ARM3 processor whose high speed combines with a much faster RAM access time than is found in the current A400 series to deliver an extremely fast machine, ideal for applications such as Desk Top Publishing, graphics and CAD, multimedia, and much else besides. In addition, the new A5000 features an enhanced version of Acorn's RISC operating system - RISC OS 3. This new version has more than 300 key enhancements over previous releases. In particular, many applications and support modules, as well as some of the most popular fonts have been put into ROM, releasing up to 150KB of extra user work space; and applications packages such as !Draw and !Paint have been upgraded with many extra facilities. The A5000 has a serial port, a centronics printer port, an enhanced PC AT keyboard, and four eurocard-sized expansion slots, which permit expansion options at a much lower cost than with other systems. These include access to a wide range of standard PC storage devices or specialist interface cards, allowing the system to develop with changing customer demands. The A5000's floppy disc drive can now handle up to 1.6MB of information - more than twice the existing 800KB standard. IBM PC disks of up to 1.44MB can also be used and the operating system automatically adjusts to whichever format the disk is in, without the need for a separate software utility. The A5000 also allows users to take full advantage of the cost effective IDE technology, now a standard in personal computing with the 2MB system incorporating an extremely fast 40MB hard drive. Because the processor of the A5000 is so fast, the machine can be made to behave like different computers all at the same time. Via Acorn's PC Emulator software data from, say, a DOS spreadsheet or database can be combined into a business report running under the RISC OS desktop in order to take advantage of the A5000's superb graphics and wide range of scalable fonts. Additionally with !X software, the A5000 can become an X terminal, giving access into open systems. With its networking options and TCP/IP protocol, the A5000 communicates easily with other computers via standard Ethernet and Acorn's low-cost proprietary Econet. Information, expensive peripherals and storage can be shared with other machines throughout an organisation. The A5000 is also the ideal vehicle with which to access and manipulate data stored on CD ROM discs. Acorn's Marketing Director, Mike O'Riordan said "The new A5000 now joins Acorn's family of Archimedes computers ranging from the BBC A3000 (already the fourth best-selling computer in the UK) to the flagship A540. Performance for its own sake is not the question ; it's how it is delivered to your desktop which is the key; and with the A5000 together with RISC OS 3, the power of the ARM processor can be utilised by a wide range of applications. " The A5000 costs £999 for the 1MB model and £1499 for the 2MB, hard disc version with the Acorn multiscan monitor. (Both prices are ex-VAT.) Issued by: Brian Salter Corporate Affairs Manager Acorn Computers Tel 0223 245200