The Day After - Inventing the PC - page 150

“ APL makes for more powerful micros,” published in Comput-
ing Canada , he estimated the number of manufacturers or as-
semblers of microcomputer-based small business systems to be
in excess of 200 in the United States alone. He noted that “from
a hardware point of view, at first glance there is little to differ-
entiate one supplier from another … A [small business] system
… may be assembled with little or no development cost by pur-
chasing stock components and a potential computer supplier can
get into business quickly with a system which seems cost com-
petitive to a first-time user.” With so many manufacturers in the
marketplace, wrote Woods, “a potential user should confirm
that memory expansion, hard disk capability, faster printers,
and the capability for multiple operators using the system at the
same time is available today - not just promised for the future
… [T]hat the system which he purchases is capable of expan-
sion without either having his programmes rewritten or having
to trade in his first system for more capacity.” He pointed out
that the hardware configuration of a small business system was
not the only factor affecting a purchasing decision. There were
other important considerations, such as the availability of ex-
tensive software libraries, of software and installation support,
of continuous on-site field maintenance, and of expert advice on
software packages and hardware issues pertaining to the pur-
chaser's industry.
While Woods clearly understood how to make inroads into
the small business computer market, making it happen with
MCM 's resources was a different thing entirely. The MCM /900
wasn't capable of supporting multiple users, and its software
library included some good quality application programs but
wasn't extensive. The company was downloading most of its
marketing and service responsibilities to the distributors of its
products. Finally, MCM 's financial position was threatening
the company's very survival: its $500,000 line of credit from
the Toronto Dominion Bank and its government grants were