Computers in disguise try to achieve wide acceptance that still eludes PCs

For years, optimistic computer proponents have been claiming that there will one day be a microcomputer in every home. While microcomputers have failed to live up to the billing, being found in only 25 percent of American homes, microcomputer technology in the guise of other appliances may well find its way into most homes. One of the first such uses is a bank-at-home telephone being marketed by Citicorp. The telephone will include a small screen to view the transaction and its insides would be basically the same as a microcomputer. The theory behind such telephones, as well as smart televisions that allow users to search databases of articles using a remote control unit, is that they may succeed where ordinary computers have failed because they are focused, single purpose machines.