TECHNOLOGY - April 2, 1991

New Computers: Spring usually brings a host of new computers from Orange County’s personal computer manufacturers and this year is no different.

AST Research Inc. in Irvine has said it expects to launch in 1991 a new line of machines for the Japanese market, a multiprocessing machine that uses more than one microprocessor to boost computing power, a new line of notebook computers and some models based on a new ultra-fast microchip from Intel Corp.

Dave Kirkey, vice president of worldwide marketing at Advanced Logic Research Inc. in Irvine, says the company expects to introduce PCs based on a new chip under development by Intel that would be three times faster than the fastest-available version of its 486 chip.

The company also plans to launch a 50-megahertz machine based on another yet-to-be-introduced Intel chip. The company also expects to introduce a second generation of its notebook computers.

Toshiba America’s Computer Systems division in Irvine said Monday it is shipping its previously announced 17-pound laptop computer with a color display.

The laptop, the T3200SXC, has a 120-megabyte hard-disk drive and is the first laptop offering color graphics. Toshiba officials say it is aimed at computer users who must have the full capability of a desktop computer for use on the road. The machine has a suggested retail price of $8,999.

One company that isn’t diving into the laptop market is Amkly Systems Inc., the Irvine-based start-up that launched its first line of desktop computers two weeks ago.

“A lot of big computer companies are ignoring the desktop market to concentrate on laptops, and they’re going to get blind-sided,” said Robert D. Kutnick, vice president of strategic business development for Amkly.

Amkly is aiming for the high-end customers who put a premium on service instead of price. The company will add a fourth computer to its desktop line soon and plans to introduce a new family of products this summer.