Apple Introduces the Macintosh Plus

The Macintosh Plus (P/N M2503) is the newest Macintosh personal computer. Its features include:

Connecting the Macintosh Plus to Apple peripherals and third-party peripherals requires certain cables (See "Cables for Macintosh Plus" article).

To ensure that they get the best performance from the Macintosh Plus, users must install the Macintosh Plus system software on all their application disks.  A program called the "Installer" on the Macintosh Plus System Tools disk makes installation quick and easy.  This diskette is bundled with every Macintosh Plus and Macintosh Plus Disk Drive Kit. Additional information about the Installer is included in the Macintosh Plus Owner's Guide, as well as in the 800K External Disk Drive Manual. Recommend to customers that they make a working copy of each application on a double-sided disk, and install the new system software on that disk.

Most Macintosh software packages do not have the Macintosh Plus system software. The January 16 dealer (AppleGram) mailing includes software box stickers that remind customers to use the Installer to update their startup disks.  Apple-labeled applications that must have stickers include: MacDraw, MacProject, MacTerminal, Macintosh Pascal, Switcher, and Macintosh 68000 Development System. MacWrite and MacPaint already have the new software and do not need stickers. Future shipments of Apple-labeled software will have the sticker already applied.

AppleCare is available for the Macintosh Plus.

Cables for the Macintosh Plus

The following cables connect the Macintosh Plus personal computer to Apple peripherals and third party peripherals:

LaserWriter Plus Introduced

Available in February, the LaserWriter Plus has all the features and power of the LaserWriter, in addition to seven new typefaces including ITC Avant Garde(TM), ITC Bookman(TM), Helvetica Narrow, New Century Schoolbook, Palatino, ITC Zapf Dingbats(TM) and ITC Zapf Chancery(TM). The LaserWriter Plus has an additional one megabyte of ROM to enhance the power.

The LaserWriter Plus Kit (M0191) enables users to transform a LaserWriter into a LaserWriter Plus. The kit contains:

AppleCare is available for the LaserWriter Plus.

Macintosh 800K External Disk Drive

The  Macintosh 800K Disk Drive (M0131), for the Macintosh Plus and 512K, features 800K of storage capacity. With the 800K Disk Drive, users can store multiple system programs and applications on a dual-sided 3.5 inch disk while still leaving plenty of room for data files. It operates at twice the speed of the 400K drive, and is fully compatible with the 400K drive.

In order to use the Macintosh 512K with the 800K External Disk Drive, it is necessary to update the system files. Software applications that do not have the Macintosh Plus System Software must be updated using the "Macintosh System Update" enclosed in the January 16 dealer (AppleGram) mailing.

An 800K External Disk Drive manual is included with the product, and AppleCare is available.

Macintosh Plus Upgrade Available

Three Macintosh Plus Upgrade Kits enable customers to upgrade from a Macintosh 128K or a 512K to a Macintosh Plus.

The kits are as follows:

Customers who have purchased Macintoshes or a Macintosh Memory Expansion Kit between November 17, 1985 and January 15, 1986 will receive rebates off the purchase of a Macintosh Plus Disk Drive Kit and Macintosh Plus Logic Board Kit.

If customers purchase AppleCare for the Macintosh, and if they upgrade the system during the term of the agreement, the upgraded Macintosh is also covered under the current agreement until the end of the term. At the end of the term, customers must purchase AppleCare for the new upgraded system.