Acorn name dropped in time for Risc OS 4

Acorn is continuing its reinvention by changing its name to Element 14 in the run-up to the long awaited launch of Risc OS 4 this month.

The name change has been in the pipeline since before Christmas. Stan Boland, chief executive of Acorn, was reported to have said the Acorn name 'carries too much baggage' and that the new title would 'be more reflective of our silicon and software future'.

An Acorn representative refused to confirm the name change, stating the official launch would be on 14 January. Element 14 refers to the position of silicon in the periodic table.

The Christmas period also brought the announcement that Risc OS 4 would hit the channel around the middle of January.

Ray Pinchard, sales director of Acorn's workstations division, said: 'We would like to reaffirm our support for the Acorn community. The company has recently been compelled to make some disappointing statements, but we want our customers to know that we remain dedicated to supporting their needs.'

The Acorn restructure started by Boland resulted in the scrapping of its #2 million Risc 2 PC project and a 40 per cent cut in staff (PC Dealer, 23 September, 1998). It left the company fully focused on the digital television and thin client components market.

The focus on set-top boxes was highlighted recently when Acorn poached a chip design team from ST Microelectronics to strengthen its digital TV development programme. The seven designers will be set up in a research centre in Bristol at a cost of #2 million.