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IBM Takes Aim at Microsoft with OS/2 Warp Launch

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

IBM is set to launch its OS/2 Warp consumer version on October 12, aiming to take significant market share from Microsoft's dominant Windows operating system. This move is seen as a critical step in IBM's bid to attract home and small-business users, previously largely ignored by the company. Warp is being positioned as a more user-friendly and powerful alternative to Windows, with a desktop interface similar to the Apple Macintosh and native 32-bit support for the latest computer processors.

Key Takeaways:

  • IBM's OS/2 Warp will be launched globally on October 12, targeting home and small-business users with a user-friendly and powerful operating system.
  • The new system will bundle a number of home-user-oriented products, including software for faxing, document-sharing, and Internet communications.
  • Warp's interface resembles a desktop with files and folders, allowing users to customize their desktop and easily access commonly used applications.
  • The operating system is a true 32-bit system, capable of unlocking the full speed and power of modern computer processors.
  • IBM executives claim that Warp will be easier to use and more powerful than Microsoft's Windows.
  • The launch of OS/2 Warp comes as Microsoft is running late with its Windows 95 launch, originally due in early 1994 but now scheduled for mid-1995.
  • The success of OS/2 Warp will be tested by its ability to run existing Windows software, with early reviews indicating that it can run on four megabytes of random access memory.

Statistics:

  • IBM's OS/2 Warp will be released with a range of bundled software, including faxing, document-sharing, and Internet communications tools.
  • The operating system is designed to run on modern computer processors, including Intel's Pentium chip.
  • Microsoft expects to sell 30 million copies of Windows 95 worldwide in its first year.
  • Between 10 and 15 percent of Australian office workers will be telecommuting with PCs linked by modem to headquarters by the year 2000.
  • A Government computing conference in Brisbane predicted that productivity would improve by as much as 70 percent when telecommuters work at home.

Sources:

  • "The first shot in a coming war of personal computer operating systems will be fired on 12 October" - Byline: David Frith, THE
  • "Lexmark International has launched the ExecJet IIc, a color inkjet printer, on the Australian market at $699" - Source: The Australian
  • "Hayes Microcomputer Australia is tempting SOHO Windows users with a $499 fax/data modem" - Source: Computer news
  • "A Government computing conference in Brisbane was told last week that between 10 and 15 percent of Australian office workers will be telecommuting by the year 2000" - Source: The Australian

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