Brief

IBM will launch its new Aptiva S Series personal computer in the UK next March. The home-use system will be aimed at the top end of the market, with prices likely to start at around 2000. Created in-house at IBM, the design of the S Series is based on market research carried out to discover what people want from a home PC. This has resulted in a ‘split system’ arrangement, with all disc drives and controls located beneath the monitor in a pop-up compartment. When closed, the surface forms a storage space for the computer’s keyboard. The CPU can be placed up to two metres away from the monitor to reduce clutter. The system’s charcoal grey colour matches many other domestic electrical products.