The Day After - Inventing the PC - page 139

one of the main features that distinguished MCM products from
IBM desktops - for temporary gains of operational speed and
some reduction in development costs. The “Micro” prefix in the
company's name became void of meaning, and perhaps this is
why it was changed to “ MCM Computers” in July 1977.
Technological advancements in the semiconductor industry,
which had once propelled MCM to the front line of pioneering
work on personal computing, were now bypassing the company
that was consciously turning away from what microproces-
sor technology had to offer. The company was losing not only
technological leadership but also key personnel, most notably
MCM 's engineering icon, José Laraya. “[W]e weren't gonna do
the 8080 or 8086 [microprocessor-based hardware], we were
getting left behind,” explained Laraya. “I felt that there was
nothing more to contribute.” After leaving MCM , Laraya would
continue his pioneering work on personal computers. His Per-
sona desktops, designed for a Canadian company, Nelma Elec-
tronics Ltd, became popular microcomputers in Ontario in the
early 1980s.
Williams for Berg
The MCM /800 gamble ended in a fiasco. Despite re-using the
MCM /700 technology, the MCM /800 was more expensive than
its predecessor (in July 1976 the MCM /800 in basic configura-
tion was priced at $19,800, while the top model of the MCM /700
retailed at $9,800; by July 1978, the price of the MCM /800 was
reduced to $15,000). The company managed to sell a few of its
computers to well-known firms and organizations, including the
Canadian Department of National Defence (war-game simula-
tions), Canadian General Insurance (actuarial use), Crown Life
Insurance (actuarial and underwriting use), Ontario Hydro
(scientific use), University of Toronto (educational use), Merrill
Lynch Royal Securities Ltd (research), John Hancock Mutual