PRICE CUT FORESEEN FOR PENTIUM CHIPS.

Byline: Charlie Paschal Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire

With a new year beginning, what kind of things can you expect to see in computing in the next 12 months?

My crystal ball is slightly dusty, but I can see fierce competition fueling a drop in prices for Pentium chips. Cyrix has just released a new 6x86 chip, Intel is pushing out its Pentium Pro and the AMD/NextGen merger expects to release a new chip in the second quarter.

What all this means is that this competition will force price cuts, with the consumer being the winner. Although Intel has 133 MHz versions out, early tests of the Cyrix 100 MHz chip indicates it is faster than that chip. Cyrix calls the chip the 6x86-P133.

Eventually, these new chips will force price cuts in most of the Pentium chips already on the market. Although you can expect Intel to continue as the leader, the others are hot on the trail.

Look for a revolution in the CD-ROM business with a new format named DVD. (How long ago did I predict this?) Supporters of the format expect it eventually to replace VCRs, compact disc players and computer CD-ROMs.

Before you get all in a lather, this new format is backward compatible and will play all your existing CDs. What's even better, though, is all that this new format is going to mean.

First of all, it is a combined effort by all makers who agreed to the standard, eliminating the possibility of a format war such as the Beta-VHS debacle. The new disks can record on both sides rather than just one as now. Additionally, the disks can be "layered," meaning storage can include full-length movies. The best news, though, is that you can store something like four gigabytes on each side. Are you excited yet?

The drives are supposed to start showing up around Christmastime. (You get the idea someone has planned this?) Expect them to cost around $500. That price will tumble quickly, though, with all the competition.

One area you can't expect much relief in is the limitations of computer modems and access speed to the Internet. We're at the mercy of either the cable or telephone companies to get a faster connection than our 28.8 modems, which are maxed out.

In some areas of California, users are getting a chance to experiment with cable modems (10 times faster than 28.8) and a connection to the Internet. Right now, at $40 a month, I think it's expensive. ISDN, the telephone solution, is not as fast but is becoming available in some areas (Hint to telephone companies: Get your act together or we'll go elsewhere).