Apple Launches Reinvented Power Macintosh G3 Line

New Line Has Fastest PowerPC Processors, Lightning Fast 3D Graphics and Aggressive Prices

Macworld Expo, San Francisco—Jan. 5, 1999—Apple Computer, Inc. today introduced a completely new line of its highly-successful Power Macintosh G3 computers, which feature new copper-based PowerPC processors running up to 400MHz and the industry’s newest and fastest 2D-3D graphics accelerator chip—the just released ATI RAGE 128. The new G3s also include industry-standard 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, USB and 400 Mbps Firewire—all on the motherboard. Housed in a stunning translucent minitower enclosure with a revolutionary access mechanism that simplifies access and expansion, the new Power Macintosh G3 line starts at an aggressive suggested retail price (SRP) of U.S. $1,599.

“The original Power Macintosh G3 was a tough act to follow but we’ve done it with a new line that crushes the competition with its raw power, graphics performance and industrial design,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s interim CEO. “The new Power Macintosh G3 raises the bar on what people should expect a personal computer to offer.”

By combining a Power Macintosh G3 with one of Apple’s new Studio Displays, customers can purchase the most complete Macintosh system ever. The new Power Macintosh G3 line is perfect for design professionals who want to run the most powerful image-editing packages, home users looking for a machine that can handle the latest in graphics-intensive games and Internet applications, and educators who want a high-performance machine that is a solid investment for the future. With over 1,300 new software titles launched for Macintosh in the last eight months, the new Power Macintosh G3 line is designed to run the latest software at lightning speeds.

Key features of the new Power Macintosh G3 line include:
The fastest PowerPC G3 microprocessors yet—running at 300MHz, 350MHz, and 400MHz, with support for up to 1 GB of DRAM in 4 DIMM slots
ATI RAGE 128 graphics controller with 16MB SDRAM graphics memory and support for QuickDraw 3D RAVE and OpenGL—making the latest games, graphics and video editing software stand out
Translucent blue and “ice” minitower enclosure that provides the industry’s easiest access to expansion slots and memory
Two 400Mbps FireWire ports and two 12Mbps USB ports to connect the latest cameras, printers and storage devices; USB keyboard and mouse
100MHz system bus for fast data through-put
Increased expansion options through three 64-bit 33MHz PCI slots; one 32-bit 66MHz PCI slot for graphics
Fast networking through 10/100BASE-T Ethernet
Storage choices including Ultra ATA-33 and Ultra2 SCSI LVD hard drives
ADB to support customers’ current displays and add-ons

Pricing and Availability
The new Power Macintosh G3s are available immediately via The Apple Store (www.apple.com) and Apple Authorized Resellers, with over ten thousand build-to-order (BTO) configurations, including industry-first options for DVD-RAM optical storage and soon to be available 100GB of disk storage and Gigabit Ethernet communications. The following standard configurations are also available worldwide through Apple resellers and The Apple Store:

Power Macintosh G3 — U.S. SRP $1,599 300MHz/64MB DRAM/512K level 2 backside cache/ATI RAGE 128 with 16MB Video SDRAM/6GB Ultra ATA hard drive/24x-speed CD-ROM drive (maximum)/FireWire/USB/10-100BASE-T Ethernet

Power Macintosh G3 — U.S. SRP $1,999 350MHz/64MB DRAM/1MB level 2 backside cache/ATI RAGE 128 with 16MB Video SDRAM/6GB Ultra ATA hard drive/DVD-Video/FireWire/USB/10-100BASE-T Ethernet

Power Macintosh G3 — U.S. SRP $2,499 350MHz/128MB DRAM/1MB level 2 backside cache/ATI RAGE 128 with 16MB Video SDRAM/12GB Ultra ATA hard drive/24x-speed CD-ROM drive (maximum)/ZIP/FireWire/USB/ 10-100BASE-T Ethernet

Power Macintosh G3 — U.S. SRP $2,999 400MHz/128MB DRAM/1MB level 2 backside cache/ATI RAGE 128 with 16MB Video SDRAM/9GB Ultra 2 SCSI 7200rpm hard drive/24x-speed CD-ROM drive (maximum)/FireWire/USB/10-100BASE-T Ethernet

Two new Macintosh Server G3 configurations are also available and include a license for AppleShare IP 6.1; a ten-client license for Apple Network Assistant 3.5; and, SoftRAID 2.5.1 for enhanced performance and security through striping and mirroring of hard drives. BTO options are also available. Standard configurations include:

Macintosh Server G3 — U.S. SRP $3,299 350MHz/128MB SDRAM/1MB level 2 backside cache/ATI RAGE 128 with 16MB Video SDRAM/9GB Ultra2 SCSI 7,200rpm hard drive/24x-speed CD-ROM drive maximum)/FireWire/USB/10-100BASE-T Ethernet

Macintosh Server G3 — U.S. SRP $4,999 400MHz/256MB SDRAM/1MB level 2 backside cache/ATI RAGE 128 with 16MB Video SDRAM/2x9GB Ultra2 SCSI 10,000rpm hard drives/24x-speed CD-ROM drive (maximum)/FireWire/USB/10-100BASE-T Ethernet

Apple Computer, Inc. ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II, and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is now recommitted to its original mission—to bring the best personal computing products and support to students, educators, designers, scientists, engineers, businesspersons and consumers in over 140 countries around the world.

Press Contacts:
Nathalie Welch
Apple Computer, Inc.
408-974-5430
welch@apple.com

Russell Brady
Apple Computer, Inc.
408-974-6877
brady2@apple.com

NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple's PR website (www.apple.com/pr/), call Apple's Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042, or Emma Duckenfield at our PR agency, Edelman Worldwide, at (650) 968-4033, extension 1034.

Apple, the Apple logo, AppleShare, FireWire, Macintosh, Power Macintosh, and QuickDraw are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the individual companies and are respectfully acknowledged.