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Flagships of the Atari Line: New Mega ST Workstations  
Offer "Power Without the Price" for Desktop Publishing, 
Professional Applications.

Las Vegas, NV Jan. 8 -- Atari's new Mega ST 1, 2, and 4 computers, 
announced today at the Consumer Electronics Show, create new 
personal computer price/performance standards -- standards that 
the rest of the computer industry will be hard-pressed to meet or 
beat in 1987. Available starting at $1000, the new machines will 
offer up to four megabytes of RAM memory: sixteen times that of 
most standard, high-end workstations.
     The Mega ST is housed in an independent "system unit," about 
22" square by 2" high, containing the CPU, a double-sided floppy 
drive and an internal power supply. The ST's normal complement of   
ports, including those for DMA, RS-232 serial, parallel, disk, 
video, cartridge, MIDI, mouse, and joystick, plus an additional 
port for connecting the detachable, ergonomic keyboard, are 
included. The Mega ST system unit is reinforced to support a 
monitor and can be stacked with other components -- notably the 
enhanced 20-megabyte hard disk drive. Even fully loaded, it   
will take up far less room than present ST configurations.
     The sleek new Mega chassis contains a redesigned ST 
motherboard, sporting significant enhancements. A battery-backed 
clock calendar is now standard equipment, eliminating the present 
need to set time manually on power-up. The clock runs off alkaline 
penlight batteries -- more easily obtainable and less expensive
than "coin-type" lithium cells.
     The Mega ST architecture is "wide open," permitting internal 
and external expansion with add-on circuit cards. The new design 
provides full access to the 68000 bus and power supply, and 
fixtures have been provided for installing a circuit board inside 
the case. Further expansion is possible by routing the bus outside 
to an external card-cage. RAM expansion up to 16 megabytes and 
networking capabilities will soon be available from Atari as low-
cost add-ons.  
     The Mega ST's detachable keyboard is designed to the highest 
ergonomic standards for convenience and ease of use. Connected to 
the system unit by a coiled cable, the new keyboard can be held 
comfortably in the lap. When placed on the desktop, adjustable 
legs fold down to support the unit at the preferred typing angle. 
Internally, the keyboard has been enhanced with high-quality key 
switches for improved tactile and auditory feedback, better 
"feel," and increased reliability.
     Where does the Mega line stand in relation to other Atari 
products? "They're our flagships," says Atari spokesman Neil 
Harris. "The Mega STs represent Atari's continued strong support 
of the ST architecture." They are also physical proof that Atari 
has been listening to its users and taking their advice seriously. 
"Most of the improvements we've made in the basic ST design have 
been taken from 'wish lists' that have come out of our dialogue 
with users over the past year." Harris says.
     With vastly expanded memory, an open architecture, a more 
compact configuration with integrated peripherals, and an improved 
keyboard, the Mega machines are clearly intended as "professional" 
computers. Networking capabilities and sufficient memory for 
running multiple, co-resident applications, plus the promise of 
desktop publishing (in combination with the upcoming Atari laser  
printer) are sure to make the Mega ST an office favorite in the 
coming year. 
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