Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.tech,americast.usa-today.tech From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: tech Tue, Sep 22 1992 Date: Tue, 22 Sep 92 04:55:02 EDT Message-ID: 09-22 0000 DECISIONLINE: Technology USA TODAY Update Sept. 22, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network APPLE TO CUT JUST 100 JOBS: Apple Computer Monday denied reports that it will lay off up to 1,000 people from its sales and marketing division, saying it will let go fewer than 100 workers. Apple says the layoffs are part of a reorganization that began in April. InfoWorld reported that Apple would cut 500 to 1,000 jobs and the San Francisco Chronicle said Apple was planning 500 layoffs. `COMMUNICATOR' BEING DEVELOPED: AT&T and two Japanese companies are backing a startup company developing a "personal communicator," a hybrid of a portable phone and a computer, industry executives said Monday. AT&T, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. and Marubeni Corp. have invested in the company, EO Inc. of Mountain View, Calif., the executives said, speaking on condition of anonymity. BOSE HAS BECOME PROFITABLE: Bose CEO Amar Bose has a secret. It has to do with a multimillion-dollar project his audio-equipment firm has been working on for several years. Its goal is to spin off technologies unrelated to the audio business. He teased a curious reporter about it, not giving any details. It's hardly surprising that Bose is feeling mirthful. Net revenue in fiscal year 1992 was $425 million. (For more, see special Bose package below.) TECHNIQUE SOLVES CARPAL TUNNEL: Recovery time after surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome is cut in half and hand tissue damage far less, with a technique using a tiny videocamera, Dr. John Moore of Kansas City, Kan., will report Thursday. Carpal tunnel patients suffer hand numbness and pain created by pressure on the median nerve due to overuse. Traditional surgery involves a 3-inch incision; recovery time is six weeks. RECOVERY TAKES JUST THREE WEEKS: A new surgical technique for carpal tunnel syndrome takes just three weeks to recovery from, says Dr. John Moore of Kansas City, Kan., who will report his findings to the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons in Washington Thursday. The new technique, he says, isn't suitable for those with abnormal muscles or severe tendon swelling, about 5% of patients. HEWLETT-PACKARD BUYS FIRM: Hewlett-Packard Co. said Monday it will acquire Colorado Memory Systems Inc., a manufacturer of personal computer tape backup systems. The systems are used primarily with entry-level and midrange stand-alone personal computers and with entry-level network servers. The proposed acquisition, terms of which were not disclosed, is expected to be completed by Nov. 30. LOTUS QUIET ABOUT REPORT: Lotus Development Corp. declined Monday to confirm or deny a report in the Wall Street Journal that has the giant software concern aligning with Philips Electronics N.V., a Dutch company, to develop telephones with display screens. The report said Lotus would hold a 30% stake in the joint venture with a total capitalization of $20 million. MARTIN MARIETTA GAINS DEAL: Martin Marietta said Monday it has received a contract for approximately $50 million from the U.S. Air Force to provide a new-generation sensor system for potential use on the F-22 Advanced Tactical Fighter. Martin Marietta will provide the advanced Infrared Search and Track system to the Air Force in 1997 for flight tests. TITAN GAINS SUBCONTRACT: The Titan Corp. has been awarded a subcontract by Hercules Defense Electronics. The contract, valued at approximately $2.6 million plus the same amount in options, is for 550 sets of Titan's computer and memory modules. They will be used in the Hercules AN:AAR-47 missile warning system. The system alerts slow-moving, low-flying aircraft to the launch of an anti-aircraft missile. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON BOSE: 901 SPEAKER WAS KEY PRODUCT: Bose Corp. is the house the 901 stereo speaker built. Introduced in 1968, four years after Bose was founded, the venerable 901 uses front and rear speakers to create a full-surround effect. Now, Bose speakers are the best-selling models in Japan, home to many of the largest stereo manufacturers in the world. And in an ironic twist, many Japanese cars arrive in this country with Bose audio systems. BOSE SELLS IN JAPAN: There's nothing magical about dominating the Japanese market, according to Bose CEO Amar Bose, who attributes his success to having quality products and personnel. After entering the Land of the Rising Sun in 1970, "we lost our shirt in Japan for the first eight years," Bose says. The corporation was only 6 years old at the time and not wildly profitable. FIRM MARKETS CAR STEREOS: It was Bose's decision to invest $13 million and four years toward developing a car stereo system. A project undertaken with General Motors, the Delco-Bose music system was another gamble that paid off. Bose says car audio components account for 25% of revenue for the company, which pours 100% of profits into research and development. CEO TEACHES AT MIT: Bose, also an electrical-engineering professor at nearby Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has many former students working for him. Consequently, there's a close-knit atmosphere within the company. That fact and the degree of autonomy Bose enjoys are two reasons he's rejected offers to go public. "We never even discuss it," Bose says. (End of package.) Technology Editor: Ed Kelleher. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM