PENTIUM PORTABLES SHINE, ESPECIALLY WITH CONSUMERS

LA JOLLA, Calif., Apr. 29, 1996 - New information from Computer
Intelligence InfoCorp (CII), the leading fact-based market information
firm for the computer and communications industry, details strong
performances for PC sales through channels during the first quarter of
1996, contradicting a widespread belief in PC market weakness. Retail
sales of Pentium portables were particularly strong, as manufacturers have
started to offer models at price points more attractive to consumers.

The findings emerged from CII's StoreBoard Channel Tracking database, which
tracks U.S. sales channel performance and trends for microsystems (PCs),
printers and software. StoreBoard channels include Computer Dealers,
Consumer Electronics Stores, PC Superstores and Office Superstores.

Because of softness in semiconductor orders, with the U.S. SIA book-to-bill
ratio flash report for March reaching its lowest point in eight years,
which also coincided with a new wave of price wars, many people had
concluded that PC sales for the first quarter would be off significantly
from the stellar levels of 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995. StoreBoard data,
however, shows that this was not the case in the surveyed channels.

For example, though March '96 PC channel sales were essentially flat
compared with February '96, on a year-to-date basis for the quarter, unit
sales are up 26 percent from 1995 to 1996.

Noted Stella Kelly, Service Director for CII's StoreBoard Channel Tracking
database, "The only channel showing softness for the quarter was consumer
electronics, which experienced a mere 4 percent increase over the same
period in 1995. This was in stark contrast to the high growth rates of 29
percent for dealers, 40 percent for computer superstores and a powerful 63
percent for office superstores, which represent a growing choice for small
business purchasers."

The following table illustrates unit sales volumes for the quarter through
each of these channels during 1995 and 1996, with the percent change in
sales.

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 Channel                          Q1 1995      Q1 1996     % Change

 Dealers                        1,058,612    1,366,792       +29%
 PC Superstores                   270,535      377,606       +40%
 Office Superstores                81,597      133,231       +63%
 Consumer Electronics Stores      410,615      426,190        +4%

 Total Unit Sales               1,821,359    2,303,819       +26%

 Source:  CII StoreBoard Channel Tracking, April 1996
---------------------------------------------------------------------

For individual vendors, the noteworthy news is that Packard Bell could not
stem competitors' inroads into its prime retail territory. Packard Bell's
unit sales through StoreBoard retail channels for the first quarter of
1996 were flat, compared to the period a year ago. First-quarter results
also illustrate how the market of the 90s is no longer dominated by the
'CIA' (Compaq, IBM, and Apple), following the entrance into the channels
of competitive products from Acer, DEC, HP, NEC, Texas Instruments, and
Toshiba. For Q1 1996 compared to Q1 1995, each of these six vendors
experienced growth rates of 50 percent or more through the StoreBoard
channels. By contrast, though Compaq's unit sales did grow a creditable 41
percent, Apple Computer's unit sales were down 3 percent and IBM showed
only a 19 percent increase.

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       SALES BY VENDOR THROUGH STOREBOARD CHANNELS

 Vendor                  1Q 95      1Q 96    Percent Change

 Acer                   61,294    101,084          +65%
 Apple                 196,754    190,523           -3%
 AST                    53,599     28,940          -46%
 Compaq                386,709    544,199          +41%
 DEC                    15,702     24,393          +55%
 HP                    126,032    214,814          +70%
 IBM                   272,064    324,782          +19%
 NEC                    46,395     71,538          +54%
 Packard Bell          269,057    269,623            0%
 Texas Instruments       6,665     15,463         +132%
 Toshiba               101,641    164,366          +62%
 All Other             295,741    357,271          +21%

 Total PCs           1,831,653  2,306,996          +26%

 Source:  CII StoreBoard Channel Tracking, April 1996
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Portable sales were important in channel dynamics during the quarter,
especially sales through dealers. Portable PCs now represent 23 percent of
the Q1 '96 dealer channel sales volume, compared with an average of 21
percent of total dealer PC sales in 1995. Portable sales through
StoreBoard channels, in fact, increased 34 percent for the quarter over
the comparable period in 1995 (up 34 percent through dealers and 35
percent through retail).

Since October 1995, machines equipped with Pentium processors have gone
from 24 percent of portable sales in the dealer channel to an impressive
60 percent in March 1996. In retail, however, Pentiums represent an even
higher percentage of total portable sales, going from 20 percent of
October retail sales to 68 percent of volume in the retail channels in
March.

Kelly asserted, "The acceptance of Pentium portables is similar to
consumers' early adoption of Pentium when they began to buy multimedia
desktop PCs in late 1994. Consumers recognize the value of Pentium in
notebooks today just as they did in considering desktop purchases during
the 1994 Christmas buying season."

Computer Intelligence InfoCorp, a Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, is the
leading source of fact-based information for the computer and
communications industries. CII's extensive research capabilities provide a
wide variety of products and services that help computer and
communications companies sell and market more effectively. All of the
company's products and services are based on proprietary information
databases built and maintained by CII specialists. Headquartered in La
Jolla, Computer Intelligence InfoCorp has offices in Cambridge, Mass.;
Farmington, Conn.; Mountain View, Calif.; and Europe. Samples of CII's
extensive market data and research results, timely commentary from
industry authorities and previews of upcoming technology events are
available at the company's site on the World Wide Web
(http://www.compint.com).
 
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