01.20.89 PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT -------------------- Sun customers can get both increased performance and memory expansion with an upgrade of their flat-top 3/50 workstations to the 3/60. Only the flat-top 3/50 versions are upgradable. This version has been shipping since July 1987. At this time we are unable to announce anything for the dimple-top 3/50's but several possible alternatives are under evaluation. The upgrades have 75 to 90 day availability and are priced as follows: Upgrades for flat-top 3/50s: UG3/60-4F Upgrade 3/50 CPU to 3/60 CPU w/4MB $4,950 UG3/60-8F Upgrade 3/50 CPU to 3/60 CPU w/8MB $6,650 UG3/60-12F Upgrade 3/50 CPU to 3/60 CPU w/12MB $10,050 UG3/60-16F Upgrade 3/50 CPU to 3/60 CPU w/16MB $13,450 UG3/60-20F Upgrade 3/50 CPU to 3/60 CPU w/20MB $16,850 UG3/60-24F Upgrade 3/50 CPU to 3/60 CPU w/24MB $20,250 Customers may install the upgrade themselves or call Sun to install. It is covered by a 90 day warranty. If a service agreement covers the system, Sun will install the upgrade at no charge as a courtesy to the customer. This upgrade offers customers the best solution to capacity constrained 3/50s. The 3/60 upgrade is a high quality, high performance solution. Internal evaluation of 3/50 add-on solutions has indicated they may cause possible reliability problems such as: a. Erratic and unpredictable failures due to exceeding the internal power supply capacity. b. Increased failures due to air flow restrictions and increased heat dissipation. c. Incompatibility of hardware and software with various of the CPU when married with an add-on product. d. Damage to CPU on installation and de-installation. e. Unforeseen difficulties due to past and future design changes. Along with this upgrade, customers that currently do not have a software support agreement may update their SunOS to the 4.0 release for a 60-70% discount with the purchase of a software support contract. This is a savings of $700 for each 4.0 update ordered! QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ------------------- 1. How do I know if I have a dimple-top or flat-top system The older style dimple-top systems were built prior to July'87 and are attached directly to the 3/50 base with the ball of the monitor into the dimple of the base. These systems would have serial numbers beginning with numbers less than 730. The newer flat-top style have monitors resting atop the base unit. 2. What do I get with the upgrade? The upgrades for the flat-top offer the exchange of the 3/50 CPU board for the 3/60 CPU. Also included is the installation documentation and 3/60 feature tape. 3. Will other upgrades be offered for the 3/50? We plan to offer upgrades to future Motorola and SPARC based products as they become available. We do not foresee availability of these upgrades for 3-6 months after the base product is announced. 4. Why has Sun not come out with its own memory add-on for the 3/50 like the ones from Clearpoint, Helios and SunFlower? Several designs were proposed and some actually were built and tested. Each and every one was rejected due to the lack of confidence in product quality and reliability that could be achieved when evaluating the complete system including the add-on memory. 5. What if my customer chooses to go with one of the 3/50 add-on products? If the add-on product specially modifies the Sun product such as the soldering of components, Sun will not honor the warranty and will support the product on a T&M best efforts basis only. This applies as well to any service agreement covering the product. If the add-on product is reversible, then Sun will continue to support the Sun system and the Sun components, however the customer must properly install/de-install the add-on product for service to be performed. Also, should the addition of the add-on memory cause a failure or increase the failure rate of the Sun system, then the customer will be liable for T&M charges. 6. What does the customer save over a new systems? If a customer has a flat-top 3/50 and wants an 8MB 3/60M, he pays $6650 for the upgrade versus $12,850 for a new system which is a total savings of $6200. Compared to a basic server configuration he saves more than $4000. 7. Why do we not offer an upgrade for the dimple-top 3/50 systems? There are both technical and manufacturing problems that cannot be easily overcome. We are evaluating some other alternatives including the possibility of a trade-in program (this is not a pre-announcement of any program to come). 8. What about maintenance? As with all other Sun products, the customer can include the upgrade on his service agreement. 9. What about installation of the upgrade? The upgrade is customer installable. If the system is covered by an on-site service agreement, then as a courtesy, Sun will install the upgrade at no additional charge. If the system is not covered by an on-site service agreement and wish to have Sun install the upgrade there is a $295 fee. In either case your customer should call 800- USA-4-Sun to request installation. 10. How will this upgrade be promoted? A direct mail campaign is being put together to be sent to all customers. Also, an ad is being placed in SunTechnology. We are working to place ads in other publications with major Sun readership. 11. Can I refer my customer to telemarketing. Absolutely. CSD Telemarketing is always ready to help your customer place his order. Just have them call 800-USA-4-Sun, prompt 6. And, of course you still recieve your normal commission. 12. How do I get the SunOS 4.0 update? If your customer is currently running the 3.5 operating system release or an earlier 3.X release, now is the time for him to update to the latest 4.0 release. With the purchase of a software support contract, your customer can now get the 4.0 release at a $700 savings! Simply work with your area Customer Service Administrator (CSA) or CSD Telemarketing (408/276-3593) to arrange the service contract and place the order for the discounted per-incident upgrade. A SERVICE CONTRACT MUST ACCOMPANY THE ORDER FOR THE PER-INCIDENT UPGRADE. The sales order for the per-incident upgrade must reference the sales rep as well as the CSA, Telemarketer or Service Marketing Rep (SMR). In addition, the CSA, Telemarketer or SMR must sign the sales order in order for it to be processed in Order Operations. If the Sales Order does not have this information, IT WILL BE RETURNED TO THE CSA to provide the correct verification, which could cause the order to be delayed for several weeks. The ordering numbers, descriptions, regular prices and discounted per-incident prices are listed below: REGULAR PROMOTION OMAR NUMBER TO USE DESCRIPTION PRICE PRICE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ SUN OS 4.0 - Full release -------------- USM1-01F 68010 1/4" DOM 1200.00 500.00 USM1-02F 68010 1/2" DOM 1200.00 500.00 USM1-03F 68010 1/4" EXP 1200.00 500.00 USM1-04F 68010 1/2" EXP 1200.00 500.00 USM2-01F 68020 1/4" DOM 1200.00 500.00 USM2-02F 68020 1/2" DOM 1200.00 500.00 USM2-03F 68020 1/4" EXP 1200.00 500.00 USM2-04F 68020 1/2" EXP 1200.00 500.00 USS1-01F SPARC 1/4" DOM 1200.00 500.00 USS1-02F SPARC 1/2" DOM 1200.00 500.00 USS1-03F SPARC 1/4" EXP 1200.00 500.00 USS1-04F SPARC 1/2" EXP 1200.00 500.00 USM-09F RTU & 68010/68020 DOCS ONLY 1100.00 400.00 USS-09F RTU & SPARC DOCS ONLY 1100.00 400.00 USX-00F RTU ONLY 1000.00 300.00