Every once in a while someone makes an offer that sounds just too good to be true.

The Ant PC to be produced by MDR is just that. Its specification sounds remarkably good but as yet is not true.

The design is for a briefcase portable offering three processors (CMOS Z80, CMOS 8086, 68000), three Operating Systems (CP/M, Concurrent CP/M 3.1, MSDOS as an emulation under Concurrent), the option of a fourth (Unix), 512K RAM, 80 column by 23 line LCD display, single 420K Sony-format microfloppy, four channel sound, two serial and one parallel interface, and RGB output to a colour monitor.

And the price? Just £1,300 plus VAT.

The company claims that the machine already exists and it will be able to demonstrate it running within the next couple of weeks.

The only catch is that at the moment the system exists only as a desktop machine.

"We will be crunching it down to the size of a portable," says Steven Michael, assistant product manager.

This will take some time, as will getting hold of the 25 line LCD screen. These don't exist yet but we are confident, as of last week, of getting these," said Mr. Michael.

As a result the machine will not be released until its worldwide launch next January, although the company says that it will start to be produced in quantity in November.

In the meantime, MDR is inviting would-be purchasers to send off post-dated cheques to secure delivery of the Ant after January 1985.

MDR is buying in the design from the US where, it is claimed, the machine in its desktop format has existed for three months. MDR will have worldwide rights to the machine in its Ant-like form.

It does not intend to manufacturer the machine itself, preferring instead to sub-contract out the assembly.

MDR advertises itself as a 'consultants, suppliers and engineers to home and business computer users'. Its main activity appears to be selling home and business micros at a discount on mail-order.

It is not unusual for manufacturers to pre-announce products or invite mail-order customers to send orders in advance of the product being available. But inviting orders some six months in advance of the launch must be something of a record.

"We want the Ant to be a people's computer," says Mr. Michael. "We want to see what the response is to the specification of the machine before we finalise the design."

If it is not unusual to pre-announce products it is also not unusual to fail to meet promised delivery dates.

PCN has been promised a demonstration of the desktop prototype. We'll keep you posted - ante-dated, of course.