Computers biting big market
Friday, September 2, 1983/The Battalion/Page 5B
staff photo by Mike Davis
while walking
The countdown! has already begun for a
student living in Briggs Hall third floor.
May graduation for the Class of 1984 was
a short 101 days away Wednesday.
JSick kids have
wishes granted
far
ly Period. 1956to
by use of relatif
)me, reusable eifi
lich required t«
ly between cases,
n caseload was 251
most were congei
bnormalities.
Idle Period.
>re efficient and pi
pment was developi
sposable devices to>
o the blood n
ones. Emphasis wan
or acquired hearti
najor importance^
enod was introduci
al heart valves tot
ased ones.
Period. 1970 to
duction of technif
a diseased segment
artery. The first si
; at the Institute*
965. Cooley said l'
now accounts
n 60 percent ofi|
t procedures dontt
uringthis period,
ir for more com|
problems becai
United Press International
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Cliil-
en who spend time in hospit-
have an overriding wish to
well.
Rosemary and Jim Baker
it grant that wish. But they
r give just about anything else
itdeboy or girl might want.
A puppy clog, a yisit with
(Itey Mouse,, presents from
ta Claus and trips: to Walt
sney World are some of the
s 12 chronically ill chil-
en have received from A Wish
meTrue, a private nonprofit
aup the Bakers started in
oise.'
ent Period
volume of open
s has reached
the Institute, pm
: use of a technif tsi
tram in
eliil
ltd ind t
percutaneous
ronary angiopiasi
is procedure, a
papermatch-size
; end is snaked ini
artery. Then
as inflate the h
ck the blocking faii|vei
idening the openi
aid the final
suits from ang
1 as an alternative ft*
of heart operation id
hcoming within tl*
)n sperm
is new
r drug
Press International
ie latest lead in
a new cancer drff
rm.
a in the sperm calf
has been used
;rowth of tumors 1
ving and suffocatii
irly stages of cancc'
dab Folkman oft! 1
edical School, n( j
Is sprout from t:
and grow toward
e it oxygen andm'
ne somehow st(
: from growing,
rotamine is toxi
cause it is the fi 1
,und known to sl«
'essel growth,” Fol
“studying how
help us find m<
illy appropri
“It begins to be that your
tile life revolves around the
pital,”said Linda Brassard of
;rdaughter Melissa, who sui
ts from cysitc fibrosis. “You
rget there’s anything outside
it"
Melissa, a single be-ribboned
aid down her back, looks like
other active 5-year-old —
ceptfor the tube peeking out
her bandaged wrist. She
sspem nearly half her life in a
Melissa, her two sisters and
ir parents went to Disney
orldearlier this year, courtesy
A Wish Come True, because
wanted to see Mickey
The organization picked
the $1,800 tab.
Mrs. Baker, 37, of Tiverton,
Is three healthy teen-agers
||f. She said she has always
involved in fundraising.
A teheard about a group in Ari-
la helping chronically ill chil
li, and decided with her hus-
to start a similar group in
lilt! lode Island.
Since then, she’s heard about
:ral other states, including
inflassachusetts, that have such
mizations.
The Bakers' group is limited
' Ipingchildren in Rhode 1s-
and nearby Massachusetts.
“Rightnow we’re really nickel
id diming it, but people have
fen wonderful,” she said.
“TheTiverton Town Council
(Mated their salaries, the fire-
H< I II [ AUTO
I II All
WE COME TO YOUR CAR
ALL TYPES OF REPAIRS
AMERICAN & FOREIGN
ACL WORK GUARANTEED
10’/» Discount with student ID
846 -1125
OWNED AND
OPERATED BY
KENNETH
ELMORE
United Press International
MENLO PARK, Calif. — The
home computer industry stands
at a crossroad, which could lead
it to huge new expansion, or
down the path of oversupply
and cutthroat competition.
Industry analysts say the di
rection is not clear because of
one major uncertainty — how
long the boom will last.
On the other hand, he says,
because of new developments
and uses, “We may be seeing a
home computer with a real pur
pose that could launch the in
dustry into a new, untapped
market.”
Heretofore the “home com
puter" was defined as a relative
ly simple device sold at a rela
tively low price for a relatively
narrow reason — video game
playing.
The more sophisticated and
much more expensive “personal
computer,” with its capacity to
process words, crunch numbers,
receive and transmit data, has
not yet become been a major fac
tor in the home market sales.
The entry with the potential
to turn the flagging market
around, according to Cottrell
and other analysts, is a low-
priced system featuring word
processing, computerized
typewriter and letter-quality
printing — the abilities of the
personal computer combined
with the game-playing capabili
ties of the present home com
puter.
Three such systems hope to
lead the way in the marketplace
— Coleco of West Hartford,
Conn., IBM and Atari, Inc., of
California’s “Silicon Valley.”
"Coleco is the one who made
the biggest noise about it with its
‘Adam,’ but I understand Atari
has a similar product at a similar
price in the works,” Cottrell said.
The IBM “Peanut” triggered
a stock market selling spree
among home computer issues
when it was announced late in
J uly by the trade magazine Com
puter & Software News. Inves
tors, according to Wall Street
analysts, were jittery over the en
try of yet another contender in
the field.
Atari, a leader but also an
early loser in the home compu
ter and video game price wars,
has been mum about its antici
pated plunge into the next stage
of home computer technology.
IBM also has kept its cards
close to the vest, but industry
analysts say the Peanut probably
will premiere this fall at a price
of $600 to $900.
Coleco is out in the open with
its intentions to aggressively
market low-priced home com
puters with new capabilities.
“We think what Adam will do
is literally open up heretofore
untapped markets,” said Arnold
C. Greenberg, Coleco president
and chief executive officer.
“We firmly believe that this
whole home computer market,
rather than being dead or dying
as has been suggested, has just
begun,” he said.
“We are just now beginning
to solve the question over what
to do with these things besides
playing games.”
Coleco’s solution, Greenberg
said, is an af fordable system that
will offer state-of-the-art video
game graphics and a self-
contained word processing
program, storage for the equiva
lent of 250 typewritten pages
and a letter-quality printer.
“We’re expecting to ship
500,000 units by the end of the
year,” Greenberg said. “With
software sales and other items
factored in, that adds up to an
excess of $250 million in just the
next four months.
“As for next year, we’re
thinking in terms of millions of
units. We think the whole mar
ket is going to explode next
year.”
Cottrell at SRI said the new
computers could affect not only
the home computer industry but
the electric typewriter industry
as well.
“It’s an awesome market
they’re after,” Cottrell said. “Af
ter all, why would someone buy
a $300 electric typewriter when
he can spend $300 more and get
a word processor plus a compu
ter and printer? The choice
should be pretty dear.”
While many analysts are en
thusiastic about the new direc
tion in home computers, others
remain skeptical.
“How many people are going
to rush home to write letters or
term papers?” said Esther
Dyson, president of the New
York-based firm of Rosen Re
search.
“If Coleco can really deliver
what it says it can, there’s no
doubt it will make a major im
pact on the market. But it still
doesn’t mean there is a universal
use for every home.”
Analysts "are all really smart,
well-educated, liberal people-
wit h imaginations,” she said.
“What they don’t understand is
that most people don’t have im
aginations, and they would
rather just look at a box — televi
sion — than play with it.
“What you have is people
looking at this industry who
don’t understand the people
who are buying the products.”
The home computer indus
try, she said, is in rough shape
and “it’s not going to get better
quickly” with the advent of
Adam or some other “compute
rized typewriter.”
men raised money for us, as
have the Cub Scouts. The kids
especially have been wonderful
— it gives them a feeling of
being able to help their own,"
she said.
Mrs. Baker said they have 30
volunteers around the state
helping out with the program.
When she’s not raising
money for their project, Mrs.
Baker is a nursery school
teacher. Her husband is a self-
employed truck driver.
Not every wish comes true.
Sometimes there isn’t enough
time.
Mrs. Baker said one of the
first wishs they tried to fufill was
for a 9-year-old leukemia victim
named Michael, who wanted to
•visit his aunt and uncle in San
Diego, Calif.
The doctors said he was too
ill, so the relatives were flown to
Rhode Island by A Wish Come
True. Michael died the day they
arrived. He never saw them.
“That’s when we really real
ized these children are seriously
ill, and in some cases don’t have
a lot of time,” she said.
So far, no child has asked for
a wish they can’t grant.
T he hospital usually tells the
Bakers of a particular child, and
they contact the parents. Mrs.
Baker then finds a way to meet
the child and discuss his hobbies
without specifically mentioning
what she is planning.
The wheels are then put in
motion.
One child received a puppy.
Another was visited at home by
Santa Claus. Still another got a
swimming pool. Several have
gone to Disney World with their
families.
Mrs. Brassard said the trip to
Disney World she shared with
her family is a memory they will
always cherish.
“It was wonderful,” Mrs.
Brassard said. “This organiza
tion touched our lives and we’ll
remember it forever. People
really need to see a wish come
true.”
TAMU
Mugs
now available at
McDoHa(ds r\ r\
Biyan-College Station
%
99c
Buy a medium size
drink of your choice
and keep the TAMU
plus Mug.
tax
McDonalds r\ r\
^(Y\
(Limited Supply)
SHOE
SALE
oo%
OFF SELECTED STYLES
DISCONTINUING MODELS—MAKING
ROOM FOR NEW INVENTORY.
MEN’S & WOMEN’S
3 DAYS ONLY (3")
R. RUSH & CO.
CULPEPPER PLAZA
HELP WANTED
FAST
FREE
DELIVERY
• APPLY AT 301 PATRICIA OR S. TEXAS AVE. ACROSS FROM TG&Y
• IN THE PARKWAY SQUARE CENTER (FORMERLY CASSINO’S)
HOURS:
11:00-1:00 A.M. MON.-THURS.
11:00-2:00 A.M. FRI.-SAT.
11:00-12:00 A.M. SUNDAY
CHANELLO’S
NOW WITH 2 GREAT TAMU LOCATIONS
696-0234
S. CAMPUS AND RESIDENTS
S. OF LINCOLN
846-3768
N. CAMPUS AND RESIDENTS
N. OF LINCOLN
WELCOME BACK AGGIES!
2 FREE
COKES
WITH
EVERY
PIZZA!
1.00 OFF
any
1 item
or more
12" pizza
$ 2r00 OFF
any
1 item
or more
16" pizza
*3.00 OFF
any
1 item
or more
20" pizza
SUPREME DREAM
$.
*14.18
for a 20"
or
$ 9.98
for a 16"
Supreme Pizza with pep, saug.i mush., grn.
peps., onion, 6 in. olives.
4.00 OFF
any pizza
delivered in more
than 30 min.