RCI announce Titanium-based TiMachine early-access

We are pleased to announce that we will have the first “early access”
version of our forthcoming Titanium-based computer system, the TiMachine,
for sale at the SW Show this weekend.

Pronounced similarly to “Time-Machine”, the name reflects both Titanium’s
future potential/expansion, and also its ability to utilise older RISC OS
software too.

The TiMachine offers high performance RISC OS computing – in many cases
the fastest currently available, and couples it with exciting expansion
potential. The system incorporates innovative features such as dual
1920×1200 DVI graphics outputs, and PCI-express expansion, plus four SATA
ports for drive connectivity, and two legacy serial ports.

The system includes our well respected/received Computer Recovery System
(introduced with ARMX6) as well as membership of our Titanium Support
Scheme, plus comprehensive software bundle – a combined value of several
hundred pounds.

A selection of SATA SSD and other options are available.

TiMachine market positioning
========

Usually when we release a new computer, it completely superceeds its
predecessor, and marks “end of life” for the old machine. In this case,
we have the intriguing situation where we feel that strong cases can be
made for both our existing ARMX6 systems and the TiMachine.

Firstly, ARMX6 has been by far our most successful ARM/RISC OS system
release to date, both in the traditional RISC OS consumer market, and in
the commercial/industrial space. We are planning a number of ARMX6-based
projects in the coming year(s), and have no plans to slow development of
the ARMX6 system. The combination of high performance, proven
reliability, super-high-resolution graphics (up to 3840×2160 tested) and
comprehensive software compatibility at an attractive price make ARMX6 a
tasty package.

Meanwhile, the TiMachine takes performance even further, and offers
expansion via PCI-Express and dual monitor connections. As explained
below, software compatibility remains something of a concern, but one we
hope will be addressed in due course.** (see end)

Early Access
====

Why “early-access”? At RCI, we normally don’t announce products until
we’re ready to ship, and this case is no different. However, we’re also
conscious that the user-experience with Titanium at present will not be
quite what people may be used to from RCI in terms of software
compatibility, and thus we shall be offering the TiMachine as an “early
access” system for those keen to jump on board ASAP.

Why do we say this? Well, Titanium (along with the IGEPv5 board) utilises
new features of RISC OS that can cause anomolies (eg. colour inversion) in
some “big name” RISC OS programs like Artworks** (see below). Other
programs such as PhotoDesk, some movie playback software and certain image
viewers may also have issues on Titanium, and whilst developers are
generally rising to the challenge (David Pilling has more-or-less sorted
Ovation Pro, for example, and Andre Timmermanns has updated KinoAmp),
we’re avoiding calling it an “official release” at this stage.

You’re welcome to check with us to see if you’ll be affected by any of
this, as we’re happy to provide advice and consultation to ensure that you
end up with exactly the right computer for you. We have always aimed to
deliver the best “out of the box experience” possible, and this is no
exception.

Kind wishes,

Andrew

• As I was typing this (amazing timing, honestly!), Martin W sent through
  some updated Artworks rendering modules to test, which is great news :)
  Looks like progress is even faster than I expected!

What will be the usp to differentiate you from cje and buying directly the board?

Mark, thanks for asking – I believe that is partially covered in the article, but I’ll elaborate…

The TiMachine is a member of the ARMini/ARMX6 family, which means that the wealth of experience and resources that we have developed for previous projects carries over the TiMachine too. That means the regular updates (although ROOL updates can also be used too), comprehensive support, friendly community, special deals and software etc. You’ll see feedback on our website, but basically we aim for a very high level of customer satisfaction.

I believe support from Elesar is limited to a number of “tickets”, whereas we provide extensive free support to all RCI computer customers.

The TiMachine incorporates our recovery system in case of emergency, as well as the extensive disc image/bundle that we offer with our computers. This includes many items unique to our system, developed specifically for the project. Owners also qualify for our various Bundle CD deals offering large amounts of full-version R-Comp/RCI software (think akin to NutPi).

As far as the machine itself is concerned, we’ll be offering our usual high quality workmanship and component selection, which we believe will deliver the highest quality of product that we can offer. We also warranty our goods, and support them well beyond that. I know that for TiMachine we are investing quite heavily in high end components, as Ti is rather more selective in what it works best with.

I’m sure many folks will also “DIY”, and that’s fine – we offer DIY ARMX6 kits as well, for example. However, I know that lots of people prefer to have a ready-to-go system, and I like to think we offer the best “out of the box experience” possible. We will probably offer the Ti Support Scheme separately for the DIY audience, although I think this may have to wait until it is out of “early-access”.

Ultimately, though, I suspect it’ll come down to people buying from the company they feel most comfortable dealing with. I know that CJE have many happy customers over the years, and I’d like to think that we do too.

Thanks for elaborating. Will you be announcing prices at the show?

Yes, I suspect both vendors will be keeping prices “under our hats” until the day :)

Well, Titanium (along with the IGEPv5 board) utilises new features of RISC OS that can cause anomolies (eg. colour inversion) in some “big name” RISC OS programs […]

Is there a way to “fake” this colour inversion problem on a Pi? I don’t think any of my software is liable to be affected, but really I don’t know, nor have any effective way of testing.