Show SwuM Co c SweA fg die US U.S. Thirty years ago there was one Five years ago there were 15 Ten years ago about were at work and today more than are installed with thousands more coming They are computers Once the impenetrable domain of white-frocked white scientists and engineers today the commonplace commonplace commonplace com com- information processing processing pro pro- processing tool Ii literally is s changing the face of Amer Amer- ica Shrinking in size and cost gr growing wing in capacity and simplicity simplicity simplicity sim- sim the computer compute is is the trigger for a revolution in how people conduct their businesses businesses businesses bus bus- and think about in in- formation C. C B. B Rogers Jr IBM vice president and president of its General Systems Division said Because of advances in technology and reductions reductions' in price we now offer computing computing computing com com- systems to virtually all business and industry From the person one-person investment investment investment in in- vestment firm to the small departments of very large corporations data processing processing processing process process- ing power is being brought to bear on business scientific engineering academic and social problems at increasingly increasingly increasingly lower cost to the user Originally the computers utilized vacuum tubes of them in the first computer built in the late Today all of the circuitry converted to ultra- ultra tiny IBM Series 1 chips could be housed in the space occupied occupied occupied pied by just one of those tubes S Early computers weighed tons and required specially conditioned air-conditioned rooms Now sized desk-sized and smaller systems systems systems boast use of features features features fea fea- fea- fea tures unknown to the pioneers pioneers pioneers pio pio- of comp computerization Using step-by-step step guide glide guidebooks guidebooks books and computer assisted instruction on the very machines machines machines mach mach- ines they will use for accounting accounting accounting ting or scientific use today's computer buyer need have Ii little or no da data ta processing experience little or no programming programming pro pro- gr gramming experience and little or no sy systems an analytic abilities IBM for instance offers tested pre-tested programs to handle handle handle han han- dle specific chores for a variety variety var var- variety of business and industrial industrial industrial rial from customers small manufacturing firms where production schedules are vital vital vital vi vi- tal for control and profit to contracting firms whose estimates estimates estimates es es- es- es must be as precise as the latest price- price and labor- labor costing data can make them The potential for such innovation innovation innovation in in- novation can be seen by examining examining examining ex ex- ex- ex first the comparative comparative tive costs of computing and then the number of small business enterprises in th the United States In 1952 It it cost to do multiplications on an IBM computer Six years later later la- la later la la- ter the cost was 26 cents 26 cents by 1964 12 cents by 1970 a nickel Today those same multiplications multiplications multiplications multi multi- can be executed for a penny Internal Revenue Service Service Service Ser Ser- vice statistics estimated there are 93 million firms of which 95 percent are classified classified classified classi classi- fied by the Small Business Administration as small Proprietors of these small enterprises have the same requirements as their counterparts counterparts counterparts count count- in very large corpor corpor- They must bill their customers manage their inventories inventories inventories in in- analyze their costs evaluate alternative costs and keep bookkeeping records precisely In addition energy costs must be managed In IBM's product offering ar array ay is a special Series 1 uter-based uter power management management management manage manage- ment package written pre-written and designed to minimize electrical consumption n. n More than companies use IBM power management techniques Many users have electrical bill of a month Some have much larger utility bills All are looking for small systems solutions to very real business business business busi busi- ness concerns Collectively those companies companies companies com com- save billi billions ns of kilowatt kilowatt kilowatt kilo kilo- watt hours of electricity annually annually annually ann ann- while lowering their costs and passing those savings savings sav sav- savings ings along to their customers cus cus- ro |