The Which Computer? show at Birmingham next week wins the ultimate accolade - Sinclair will be there for the first time.

Since the four day show is primarily a business exhibition Sinclair's main exhibit will be the QL, but you'll be able to see the Spectrum and Spectrum Plus and the company promises that 'any new developments' will also be on view. This could mean that new QL peripherals are expected, either from Sinclair itself or from independent suppliers - Quest's disk attachments are almost ready for release.

Sharp, the Japanese giant that started out with a propelling pencil, will give the first public demonstrations of its MZ800 (issue 91). This machine offers compatibility with the MZ700 home micro but Sharp intends it for serious business applications in the style of the QL or the Commodore Plus/4.

Sharp's business-like approach to the subject will also be evident in two other systems on show. These are for specific users behind bars and in shops. Built around existing hardware, they put Japanese knowhow at the disposal of licensed victuallers and point-of-sale shop assistants.

Commodore, which used the show last year to give the latest re-launch to its will o' the wisp 700 system (now you see it, now you don't), will produce an IBM-compatible desktop from up its sleeve this time round (issue 92).

IBM-compatibility will also be the theme of the Canon stand, where the new A200 micro will make its debut. A feature of this system is the Q-Link networking system launched at the same time, to give users the ability to communicate with the PC itself and with Apricot micros. Compaq will also be demonstrating its desktop IBM-able, the Deskpro.

For home enthusiasts one of the most tantalising of January's new machines will not be at the show, nor for that matter in the country. Oric intends to launch its Stratos in France, and will only bring it to the UK if it sees any future for it here. Last year Oric launched the Atmos at the Which Computer? Show.

The other UK companies launching new machines fall firmly into the business category. A little-known Aldershot systems house threatens to make a splash with a sub-£1,000 IBM-compatible, and LSI will launch an upgraded Octopus alongside a re-released Durango Poppy. Tadpole Technology will give a run to its Titan Unix micro, and Cifer is aiming in the same direction with a machine called the Series 9.

MSX will be there, but Sanyo will probably give more prominence to its new MBC775 than to the MPC100 MSX micro. The MBC775, with 256K and an 8088, is designed says Sanyo to be completely IBM-compatible; the main difference lies in its 9" colour screen which is supplied as part of the basic package.

Olivetti, the quietest of the lap-held micro makers, will be sounding off on the subject of applications for the M21 and M24 and on the integration of personal computers in office environments. Its 744 square meters of floor space will not be so integrated - the company has had to take two separate stands to fit everything in.

Away from the bustle of the show the National Computing Centre is putting on seminars, of which the most interesting for personal computerusers looks like its exposition of the Data Protection Act.

The Which Computer? Show takes place at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, from January 15 to 18.