BYTE readers are an eclectic and savvy bunch, and this is reflected in the results of the 1994 Readers' Choice Awards. In most cases, familiar favorites dominate the product categories: You still like Gateway PCs, IBM workstations, and Microsoft word processors. Aldus and Adobe remain top guns in graphics software, which bodes well for Adobe's recent acquisition of Aldus. And the seesaw battle for the top spot in the notebook category actually produced a tie this year, with perennial contenders Apple (with its Mac PowerBooks) and IBM (with its ThinkPads) sharing the honors.
The most incongruous result showed up in the voting for Software Product of the Year. IBM's OS/2 took top honors, despite the fact that Windows was voted the best operating system/environment. What looks like a contradiction at first glance could simply be your way o
f recognizing the superior technology of OS/2 2.x while still acknowledging the practical importance of Windows.
Hardware Product of the Year voting also featured a battle of rivals: Intel and its Pentium versus IBM/Motorola and the PowerPC. The Pentium won by a comfortable margin, but the voting results serve notice of your growing awareness of, and interest in, the RISC-based PowerPC architecture. It will be interesting to see how you rate these rivals in future years.
The BYTE Readers' Choice Awards are the result of a random sampling of BYTE subscribers conducted in conjunction with the February '94 issue. Because they come from you, these awards better reflect a product's performance and acceptance in the real world than can any review or editors' award.
Awards
HARDWARE
Product of the Year
Pentium,
Intel
RUNNERS-UP:
PowerPC 601,
IBM/Motorola
ThinkPad 750c,
IBM
DESKTOP COMPUTER--PC
Gateway 4DX2-66V,
Gateway 2000
RUNNERS-UP:
Gateway
P5-60, Gateway 4DX2-66,
Gateway 2000
DESKTOP COMPUTER--MACINTOSH
Apple Macintosh Quadra 950,
Apple Computer
RUNNERS-UP:
Quadra 650, Quadra 610,
Apple Computer
WORKSTATION
IBM RS/6000 series,
IBM
RUNNERS-UP:
HP 9000 series,
Hewlett-Packard
Sun SparcStation 10,
Sun Microsystems
LAPTOP/NOTEBOOK COMPUTER
TIE: IBM ThinkPad series,
IBM
Macintosh PowerBook series,
Apple Computer
RUNNER-UP:
TravelMate,
Texas Instruments
HAND-HELD COMPUTER
MessagePad,
Apple Computer
RUNNERS-UP:
Gateway HandBook,
Gateway 2000
HP LX series,
Hewlett-Packard
MONITOR
NEC MultiSync FG series,
NEC Technologies
RUNNERS-UP:
ViewSonic 17,
ViewSonic
Apple RGB,
Apple Computer
LASER PRINTER
LaserJet 4M,
Hewlett-Packard
RUNNERS-UP:
LaserJet IIIp, LaserJet IIIsi,
Hewlett-Packard
MODEM
Practical Modem PM9600SA,
Practical Peripherals
RUNNERS-UP:
Sportster,
U.S. Robotics
ProModem Ultima,
Prometheus
VIDEO BOA
RD--PC
Diamond Viper,
Diamond Computer Systems
RUNNERS-UP:
ATI Ultra Pro,
ATI Technologies
Paradise WD24,
Western Digital
VIDEO BOARD--MACINTOSH
Thunder 24,
SuperMac Technology
RUNNERS-UP:
Precision Color 24X,
Radius
PaintBoard XL,
RasterOps
SOFTWARE
Product of the Year
IBMOS/2 2.x,Microsoft
RUNNERS-UP:
Word for Windows,
Microsoft
WordPerfect for Windows,
WordPerfect
WORD PROCESSOR--PC PLATFORM
Word for Windows,
Microsoft
RUNNERS-UP:
Ami Pro,
Lotus Development
WordPerfect for Windows,
WordPerfect
WORD PROCESSOR--MACINTOSH
Word for Macintosh,
Microsoft
RUNNERS-UP:
WordPerfect,
WordPerfect
MacWrite Pro,
Claris
CAD PROGRAM--PC PLATFORM
AutoCAD,
Autodesk
RUNNERS-UP:
Generic CADD,
Autodesk
MicroStation,
Intergraph
CAD PROGRAM--MACINTOSH
Claris CAD,
Claris
RUNNERS-UP:
DesignCAD Macintosh,
American Small Business Computers
Vellum,
Ashlar
CONTACT MANAGER/PIM--ALL PLATFORMS
Lotus Organizer,
Lotus Development
RUNNERS-UP:
Act,
Symantec
PackRat,
Polaris Software
DATABASE MANAGER--PC PLATFOrM
Paradox,
Borland International
RUNNERS-UP:
Access,
Microsoft
FoxPro,
Microsoft
DATABASE MANAGER--MACINTOSH
FileMaker Pro,
Claris
RUNNERS-UP:
4th Dimension,
ACI US
Omnis,
Blyth Software
DATABASE CLIENT/SERVER--ALL PLATFORMS
Novell NetWare SQL,
Novell
RUNNERS-UP:
SQL Server,
Microsoft/Sybase
Oracle Server,
Oracle
DESKTOP PUBLISHING PROGRAM--PC PLATFORM
PageMaker,
Aldus
RUNNERS-UP:
Publisher,
Microsoft
Ventura Publisher for Windows,
Corel
DESKTOP PUBLISHING PROGRAM--MACINTOSH
PageMaker,
Aldus
RUNNERS-UP:
QuarkXPress,
Quark
Ventura Publisher,
Corel
DESKTOP PUBLISHING PROGRAM--UNIX
FrameMaker,
Frame Technology
RUNNERS-UP:
Interleaf,
Interleaf
Island Write/Paint/Draw,
Island Graphics
E-MAIL/WORKGROUP SOFTWARE--PC PLATFORM
Microsoft Mail,
Microsoft
RU
NNERS-UP:
cc:Mail, Lotus Notes,
Lotus Development
E-MAIL/WORKGROUP SOFTWARE--MACINTOSH
Microsoft Mail,
Microsoft
RUNNERS-UP:
cc:Mail,
Lotus Development
QuickMail,
CE Software
GRAPHICS PROGRAM--PC PLATFORM
CorelDraw,
Corel
RUNNERS-UP:
Adobe Illustrator,
Adobe
3D Studio,
Autodesk
GRAPHICS PROGRAM--MACINTOSH
Adobe Illustrator,
Adobe
RUNNERS-UP:
MacDraw Pro,
Claris
FreeHand,
Aldus
NETWORK OPERATING SYSTEM--PC PLATFORM
NetWare,
Novell
RUNNERS-UP:
Windows for Workgroups,
Microsoft
LANtastic,
Artisoft
NETWORK OPERATING SYSTEM--MACINTOSH
NetWare for Macintosh,
Novell
RUNNER-UP:
AppleShare,
Apple Computer
PRESENTATION GRAPHICS--PC PLATFORM
Lotus Freelance Graphics,
Lotus Development
RUNNERS-UP:
PowerPoint,
Microsoft
SPC Harvard Graphics,
Software Publishing
PRESENTATION GRAPHICS--MACINTOSH
Persuasion,
Aldus
RUNNERS-UP:
PowerPoint,
Microsoft
CA-Cricket Presents,
Computer As
sociates International
OPERATING SYSTEM/ENVIRONMENT--ALL PLATFORMS
Microsoft Windows,
Microsoft
RUNNERS-UP:
OS/2 2.x,
IBM
MS-DOS,
Microsoft
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE--PC PLATFORM
Borland C++,
Borland International
RUNNERS-UP:
Visual Basic,
Microsoft
Visual C++,
Microsoft
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE--MACINTOSH
Symantec C++,
Symantec
RUNNERS-UP:
HyperCard,
Apple Computer
Think C,
Symantec
PROJECT MANAGEMENT--ALL PLATFORMS
Microsoft Project for Windows,
Microsoft
RUNNERS-UP:
Harvard Project Manager,
Software Publishing
CA-SuperProject,
Computer Associates International
SPREADSHEET--PC PLATFORM
Microsoft Excel,
Microsoft
RUNNERS-UP:
Quattro Pro for Windows,
Borland International
1-2-3 for Windows,
Lotus Development
SPREADSHEET--MAC PLATFORM
Microsoft Excel,
Microsoft
RUNNERS-UP:
1-2-3 for Macintosh,
Lotus Development
Wingz,
Informix Software
UTILITY PACKAGE--PC PLATFORM
Norton Utilities
,
Symantec
RUNNERS-UP:
PC Tools Deluxe,
Central Point Software
Norton Desktop for Windows,
Symantec
UTILITY PACKAGE--MACINTOSH
Norton Utilities Mac,
Symantec
RUNNERS-UP:
Mac Tools Deluxe,
Central Point Software
Sum II,
Symantec
BEST SERVICE--HARDWARE
Gateway 2000
RUNNERS-UP:
IBMHewlett-Packard
BEST SERVICE--SOFTWARE
Microsoft
RUNNERS-UP:
WordPerfect
Borland International
Company Information
ACI US, Inc.
20883 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Cupertino, CA 95014
(800) 384-0010
(408) 252-4444
fax: (408) 252-7765
Adobe Systems, Inc.
P.O. Box 7900
1585 Charleston Rd.
Mountain View, CA 94039
(800) 833-6687
(415) 961-4400
fax: (415) 961-3769
Aldus Corp.
411 First Ave. S
Seattle, WA 98104
(800) 333-2538
(206) 622-5500
fax: (206) 343-3360
American Small Business Computers, Inc.
1 American Way
Pryor, OK 74361
(918) 825-4844
fax: (918) 825-6359
Apple Computer, Inc.
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
(800) 776-2333
(408) 996-1010
fax: (408) 996-0275
Artisoft, Inc.
2202 North Forbes Blvd.
Tucson, AZ 85745
(800) 846-9726
(602) 670-7100
fax: (602) 670-7101
Ashlar, Inc.
1290 Oakmead Pkwy.,
Suite 218
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
(800) 877-2745
(408) 746-1800
fax: (408) 746-0749
ATI Technologies, Inc.
33 Commerce Valley Dr. E
Thornhill, Ontario, Canada L3T 7N6
(905) 882-2600
fax: (905) 882-2620
Autodesk, Inc.
2320 Marinship Way
Sausalito, CA 94965
(415) 332-2344
fax: (415) 331-8093
Blyth Software, Inc.
989 East Hillsdale Blvd.,
Suite 400
Foster City, CA 94404
(800) 346-6647
(415) 571-0222
fax: (415) 571-1132
Borland International, Inc.
100 Borland Way
Scotts Valley, CA 95066
(800) 682-9299
(408) 431-1000
fax: (408) 431-4122
Central Point Software, Inc.
15220 Northwest Greenbrier Pkwy.,
Suite 150
Beaverton, OR 97006
(800) 964-6896
(503) 690-8088
fax: (503) 690-8083
CE Software, Inc.
P.O. Box 65580
1801 In
dustrial Cir.
Des Moines, IA 50265
(800) 523-7638
(515) 221-1801
fax: (515) 221-1806
Claris Corp.
P.O. Box 58168
5201 Patrick Henry Dr.
Santa Clara, CA 95052
(800) 544-8554
(408) 987-7000
fax: (408) 987-7460
Computer Associates International, Inc.
1 Computer Associates Plaza
Islandia, NY 11788
(800) 225-5224
(516) 342-5224
fax: (516) 342-5734
Corel Corp.
1600 Carling Ave.
The Corel Building
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1Z 8R7
(800) 772-6735
(613) 728-8200
fax: (613) 728-9790
Diamond Computer Systems, Inc.
1130 East Arques Ave.
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
(408) 736-2000
fax: (408) 730-5750
Frame Technology Corp.
1010 Rincon Cir.
San Jose, CA 95131
(800) 843-7263
(408) 433-3311
fax: (408) 433-1928
Gateway 2000, Inc.
610 Gateway Dr.
P.O. Box 2000
North Sioux City, SD 57049
(800) 846-2000
(605) 232-2000
fax: (605) 232-2023
Hewlett-Packard Co.
3000 Hanover St.
Palo Alto, CA 94304
(800) 752-0900
(415) 857-1501
fax: (800) 333-1917
I
BM Corp.
Old Orchard Rd.
Armonk, NY 10504
(800) 426-3333
(914) 765-1900
Informix Software, Inc.
4100 Bohannon Dr.
Menlo Park, CA 94025
(800) 331-1763
(415) 926-6300
fax: (415) 926-6593
Intel Corp.
P.O. Box 58119
2200 Mission College Blvd.
Santa Clara, CA 95052
(800) 628-8686
(408) 765-8080
Intergraph Corp.
Huntsville, AL 35894
(800) 345-4856
(205) 730-2000
fax: (205) 730-2108
Interleaf, Inc.
9 Hillside Ave.
Prospect Place
Waltham, MA 02154
(617) 290-0710
fax: (617) 290-4943
Island Graphics Corp.
4000 Civic Center Dr.
San Rafael, CA 94903
(800) 255-4499
(415) 491-1000
fax: (415) 491-0402
Lotus Development Corp.
55 Cambridge Pkwy.
Cambridge, MA 02142
(800) 343-5414
(617) 577-8500
fax: (617) 693-6060
Microsoft Corp.
1 Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052
(800) 426-9400
(206) 882-8080
fax: (206) 936-7329
Motorola, Inc.
2900 South Diablo Way
Tempe, AZ 85282
(800) 759-1107
(602) 438-3000
NEC Technologies, Inc.
1414
Massachusetts Ave.
Boxborough, MA 01719
(800) 632-4636
(508) 264-8000
fax: (508) 264-8673
Novell, Inc.
122 East 1700 South
Provo, UT 84606
(800) 453-1267
(801) 429-7000
fax: (801) 429-5155
Oracle Corp.
500 Oracle Pkwy.
Redwood Shores, CA 94065
(800) 562-0720
(415) 506-7000
fax: (415) 506-7200
Polaris Software, Inc.
15175 Innovation Dr.
San Diego, CA 92128
(800) 338-5943
(619) 592-7400
fax: (619) 592-7430
Practical Peripherals, Inc.
375 Conejo Ridge Ave.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91361
(800) 442-4774
(805) 497-4774
fax: (805) 374-7200
Prometheus Products, Inc.
9524 Southwest TualatinSherwood Rd.
Tualatin, OR 97062
(800) 477-3473
(503) 692-9600
fax: (503) 691-1101
Quark, Inc.
1800 Grant St.
Denver, CO 80203
(800) 788-7835
(303) 894-8888
fax: (303) 894-3399
Radius, Inc.
1710 Fortune Dr.
San Jose, CA 95131
(800) 227-2795
(408) 434-1010
fax: (408) 954-1927
RasterOps Corp.
2500 Walsh Ave.
Santa Clara, CA 95051
(800) 729-2656
(408) 562-4200
fax: (408) 562-4033
Software Publishing Corp.
3165 Kifer Rd.
Santa Clara, CA 95056
(800) 336-8360
(408) 986-8000
fax: (408) 980-0729
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
2550 Garcia Ave.
Mountain View, CA 94043
(800) 786-0404
(415) 960-1300
fax: (408) 942-0218
SuperMac Technology, Inc.
215 Moffett Park Dr.
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
(800) 334-3005
(408) 541-6100
fax: (408) 541-6150
Sybase, Inc.
6475 Christie Ave.
Emeryville, CA 94608
(800) 879-2273
(510) 922-3500
fax: (510) 658-9441
Symantec Corp.
10201 Torre Ave.
Cupertino, CA 95014
(800) 441-7234
(408) 253-9600
fax: (503) 334-7400
Texas Instruments, Inc.
P.O. Box 655474
Dallas, TX 75265
(800) 848-3927
(512) 794-5970
fax: (512) 250-7329
U.S. Robotics, Inc.
8100 North McCormick Blvd.
Skokie, IL 60076
(800) 342-5877
(708) 982-5010
fax: (708) 982-5235
ViewSonic, Inc.
20480 East Business Pkwy.
Walnut, CA 91789
(800) 888-8583
(909) 869-7976
fax: (909) 468-3756
Wester
n Digital Corp.
8105 Irvine Center Dr.
Irvine, CA 92718
(800) 832-4778
(714) 932-5000
fax: (714) 932-6498
WordPerfect Corp.
1555 North Technology Way
Orem, UT 84057
(800) 451-5151
(801) 225-5000
fax: (801) 228-5077
Illustration: AutoCAD
Illustration: OS/2 2.1
Illustration: Lotus Organizer 1.0
Illustration: PageMaker 5.0
Illustration: Novell NetWare 4.0
Illustration: CorelDraw 4.0
Illustration: Borland C++ 3.1
Illustration: Microsoft Excel 5.0 for Windows
Illustration: Microsoft Mail
Illustration: Lotus Freelance Graphics
Photograph: IBM RS/6000 PowerStation 25T
Photograph: Apple MessagePad
Photograph: HP LaserJet 4M
1994 Readers' Choice Awards
