Microsoft introduces the Mach 20. (Ideas and Trends)

MICROSOFT INTRODUCES THE MACH 20

When Microsoft announced its Mach 20 Performance Enhancement System at the end of August, some people may have wanted to yell "Cork bat!" It seemed like Microsoft was bending the rules--juicing its board to make a bigger hit by guaranteeing it would run OS/2. After all, having written the code, Microsoft knows a thing or two about OS/2, even though the final version of the new operating system is still about half a year off.

The Mach 20 announcement also added a new variable to the already complicated question, "Should I upgrade now or later?" Most corporations are trying to decide how they will move to OS/2 and its promised advanced applications. Do they upgrade their old PCs and XTs with Mach 20 boards, go for 80386 accelerators or replacement motherboards, or just go out and buy the IBM PS/2s (models 50, 60, and 80) or other '286 or '386 personal computers? And what happens to the old 8088-based machines?

At first glance the choice seems heavily weighted in favor of the Mach 20. Because its board uses an 80286 processor, it costs at least $1,000 less than a '386 accelerator board and $500 to $1,000 less than a new '286 computer. Old software runs…