Apple Renames Lisa Computer as Macintosh XL
Cupertino, Calif., January 23, 1985--Apple Computer, Inc. today announced that the Lisa 2/10 computer has been renamed the Macintosh* XL to reflect the computer's key role in The Macintosh Office, Apple's new line of business products.
"Many people have asked when Apple will introduce a Macintosh that has a built-in hard disk, enlarged screen and the internal capacity to process very complex business applications," said Mike Murray, director of marketing for Macintosh at Apple. "We already have such a Macintosh. It's called the Lisa 2/10 and we want people to know what it can do.
"That's why we're changing its name to Macintosh XL--to better communicate that the XL is truly an extra-large Macintosh."
The Macintosh XL has a 12-inch screen, larger than either the 128-kilobyte or the 512-kilobyte Macintosh computers. It comes with 512 kilobytes of memory, expandable to 1 megabyte, or 1,024 kilobytes. The computer also has a built-in hard disk that can store up to 10 megabytes of information.
With up to 1 megabyte of memory, the Macintosh XL enables business users to run complex applications. Users of Lotus Development Corp.'s Jazz integrated business software, for example, can use the full memory capacity to create very large documents and models.
The built-in hard disk offers fast performance and 25 times the storage capacity of a floppy disk. The larger screen allows users to see more data at one time, such as more columns in a spreadsheet or wider pages in word-processing applications.
"Apple is committed to its installed base of Lisa users," Murray said. "For people who already own the Lisa 7/7 business software, we will offer a migration path from 7/7 into the networking environment of our new Macintosh Office products. This package includes programs that transfer files from Lisa 7/7 to Macintosh software applications, including MacWrite, MacDraw, MacProject and Jazz.
"With the new role of the Lisa 2/10 as a 'big Macintosh' in The Macintosh Office, the Lisa 2 and Lisa 2/5 will be phased out," Murray said.
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