AGGRESSIVE PRICING STRATEGY LEAVES AST COMPETITORS BREATHLESS

RECENT PRICE SLASHINGS NO MATCH FOR AST'S ALREADY-THERE PRICING STRATEGY

IRVINE, Calif., May 6, 1996 -- Armed to the teeth with strategic and
well-thought out pricing plans, AST Computer today announced that despite
recent price slashing activities by several major PC vendors, the
company's commercial desktops are still as much as 35 percent below
similarly-equipped models from other PC players.

"Since we were aggressive last month, we don't have to react to recent
pricing activities now happening because we are already there," stated
AST's president and chief executive officer, Ian Diery. "We are priced
well below our major competitors with comparably equipped systems,
representing hundreds of dollars of savings for our reseller customers. In
addition, AST systems add value due to features such as SGRAM technology
that other companies don't even come close to matching," he added.

AST recently introduced its next generation of Bravo commercial desktops
with prices ranging from $1,250 for an entry-level Bravo LC to $2, 400 for
a high-end, fully loaded Bravo MS desktop. AST's powerful Bravo MS 5166,
for example, comes with a 166 MHz Pentium R processor, 2.0 GB hard drive,
16 MB EDO RAM, 6X CD-ROM drive and 1 MB SGRAM -- all for $2,400.

"We have developed a solid, comprehensive pricing structure that enables us
to balance our inventory and product distribution to optimal levels.
Unlike other PC vendors who are reacting, we thought out our strategy and
are executing to deliver to our resellers and end-users," Diery stated.

AST's revised business strategy focuses on being first-to-market with
aggressively priced leading-edge technologies. The company's January
implementation of this strategy resulted in being first to deliver to the
indirect channel Pentium Pro 150 MHz processor-based solutions in the form
of the Bravo MS-T 6150 commercial desktop.

Last month, AST claimed the honor of again being first-to-market with the
incorporation of Intel's fourth generation PCI chip, the 430HX PCIset,
into the spring line of Bravo MS commercial desktops.

"Some direct manufacturers would like resellers to believe that they cannot
quickly pass along component cost reductions to their customers due to
high levels of existing inventory," said Diery. "We are proving this
theory to be dead wrong with our new Bravo systems. Our spring products
allow resellers to deliver the fastest and most highly-configured desktop
systems to their customers at super aggressive prices."

Diery also noted that AST has been able to gauge and respond to the needs
of the reseller community by growing its inventory turns.

"Our inventory turns rate of 11.5, compared to a typical target rate of
about 7.5 turns per year, is evidence of our stringent asset management
and success in anticipating the needs of our resellers," Diery continued.

AST believes that users and resellers today are extremely savvy about what
they want - power and performance without compromising technology or
value. They want a return on investment that doesn't sour in a year's
time.

"Our new Bravo systems are designed to address these needs and also allow
users to move toward the twenty-first century without having to worry
about their PCs becoming obsolete," Diery noted.

CORPORATE BACKGROUND

AST Research Inc., a member of the Fortune 500 list of America's largest
industrial and service companies, is one of the world's leading personal
computer manufacturers. The $2.468 billion company develops a broad
spectrum of desktop, mobile and server PC products that are sold in more
than 100 countries worldwide. AST systems meet a wide range of customer
needs, from corporate business applications to advanced home and home
office use. Corporate headquarters is located at 16215 Alton Parkway, P.O.
Box 57005, Irvine, Calif. 92619-7005. Telephone (714) 727-4141 or (800)
876-4278. Fax (714) 727-9355. Information about AST, its products and
services can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.ast.com.
 
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