---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash SMCC: Under-$6k For New Lower-Priced Color SPARCStation IPC SunFLASH Vol 41 #5 May 1992 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Reduces Prices On Desktops MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. --April 27, 1992-- Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) unveiled a new lower-priced model of the SPARCstation(TM) IPC(TM), its popular entry-level color workstation, breaking the industry's under-$6,000 price barrier for a fully configured RISC color workstation from a major vendor. In addition, the company reduced prices on its desktop products by as much as 26 percent and introduced a lower-cost, more flexible version of its SPARCengine(R) IPX(TM) board-level product. At $5,995, the IPC workstation offers a lower price for a fully configured color RISC workstation than most competitive offerings. For example, a comparably equipped RS/6000 220, IBM's entry color RISC system, is $9,995, nearly $4,000 more than the IPC. A similarly configured 9000/710, HP's entry color system, costs $14,065 -- $8,000 more than the IPC. The IPC workstation also offers greater processing power at a lower price than many high-end color PCs. For example, the Sun system is nearly $2,000 less than a similarly equipped 486/33M PC from Compaq. The new SPARCstation IPC includes the same features and compact packaging as the existing SPARCstation IPC and comes standard with a new, mid-range, 16-inch Sony(R) monitor that offers the same resolution (1152 x 900) as all other SPARCstation systems. The new model also includes eight megabytes of memory and a 207-megabyte internal disk and runs the easy-to-use Solaris(R) 1.0 operating environment. The existing color and monochrome models of the SPARCstation IPC system will continue to be offered. The SPARCstation IPC has been particularly popular with former PC users who want the advantages of RISC and UNIX(R) in an affordable desktop package. The IPC workstation has also been chosen by users in technical and commercial markets who run software such as AutoCAD(TM), OrCAD(TM), dBASE IV(R), Lotus(R) 1-2-3(R) and WordPerfect and want PC-level prices but greater performance. SMCC Desktop Prices Reduced In addition to introducing the new lower-priced SPARCstation IPC, SMCC reduced prices on other desktop products. For example, the SPARCstation ELC(TM) entry-level monochrome workstation now costs $3,995, a reduction of $1,000. As a result, the ELC becomes one of the industry's least-expensive entry-level workstations and offers the industry's best performance for its price. The 16-inch and 19-inch color models of the mid-range SPARCstation IPX have been reduced by $3,500 and are now priced at $9,995 and $10,995, respectively. The IPX workstation offers greater processing power at a lower price than many high-end color PCs. For example, a comparably configured Compaq 486/50L costs $3,800 more than a 16-inch color SPARCstation IPX. The 16-inch and 19-inch color models of the high-end SPARCstation 2 system have also been reduced by $3,200 and are now priced at $15,295 and $16,295, respectively. "As the industry's low-cost workstation producer and volume leader, we benefit more from purchasing power than our competition," said Anil Gadre, vice president SMCC systems product marketing. "These price reductions are an example of how we've continued to capitalize on manufacturing efficiencies to pass along savings to our customer." New, Flexible Version Of SPARCengine IPX SMCC is now offering a new low-cost version of the SPARCengine IPX with no memory. This new version replaces the previous SPARCengine IPX that included 16 megabytes of memory standard. All other features on this model are identical to the previous SPARCengine IPX. Removing the on-board memory from the SPARCengine IPX board gives SMCC's board customers greater flexibility in designing their embedded systems. The new $5,995 SPARCstation IPC and all price-reduced SPARCstation systems are available immediately. The new $6,500 SPARCengine IPX is available in June 1992. For reader inquiries, telephone 1-800-821-4643. Sun Microsystems Computer Corp. Carrie Dillon (415) 336-3564 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For information send mail to info-sunflash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Subscription requests should be sent to sunflash-request@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Archives are on solar.nova.edu, paris.cs.miami.edu, uunet.uu.net, src.doc.ic.ac.uk and ftp.adelaide.edu.au All prices, availability, and other statements relating to Sun or third party products are valid in the U.S. only. Please contact your local Sales Representative for details of pricing and product availability in your region. Descriptions of, or references to products or publications within SunFlash does not imply an endorsement of that product or publication by Sun Microsystems. John McLaughlin, SunFlash editor, flash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. (305) 776-7770.