AST Research Will Introduce PC in Japan

AST Research said Tuesday that it will begin marketing in Japan a personal computer based on a common Japanese-language software standard promoted by International Business Machines.

Several U.S. suppliers of IBM-compatible computers are expected to introduce machines designed specifically for the Japanese market. AST, based in Irvine, could become the first company besides IBM to do so when it starts shipping its machine next month.

AST’s PCvision machine will be based on a Japanese-language operating system that IBM began licensing to other computer makers in December, 1990. An operating system is the software program that tells the computer which functions to perform.

“Japan is the second-largest PC marketplace in the world, and AST plans to enhance and expand its product offerings in that country,” said Tom Yuen, co-chairman and chief operating officer.

AST based its machine on DOSV, IBM’s Japanese-language version of the widely used MS-DOS operating system. The version enables the machine to run Japanese software as well as U.S. software.

IBM, which began selling PCs in Japan in 1983, decided to license its software to other companies to lessen confusion in the Japanese market. It formed a consortium of companies to help push the DOSV standard.

In the U.S. market, two companies--IBM and Apple Computer--have set the de facto standards for PC design. Although NEC Corp. has emerged as a dominant player in Japan, its software isn’t compatible with PCs made by other companies in the market.