New Macs

Apple Computer Unveils New Additions To Macintosh Line

Dow Jones News Service - Ticker

March 2, 1987

LOS ANGELES -- APPLE COMPUTER INC. INTRODUCED THE SECOND GENERATION OF THE MACINTOSH PERSONAL COMPUTER FAMILY WITH TWO NEW MODELS THAT OFFER USERS THE ABILITY TO FLEXIBLY CONFIGURE SYSTEMS TO SUIT THEIR PARTICULAR NEEDS OR TO EXPAND THESE SYSTEMS AS THEIR NEEDS GROW.

THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE, OPEN-ARCHITECTURE, MACINTOSH II, DESIGNED FOR ADVANCED APPLICATIONS FEATURES SIX INTERNAL PRINTED CIRCUIT CARD SLOTS FOR ADDING MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS - INCLUDING AN OPTIONAL COLOR DISPLAY, NETWORK CONNECTIONS AND MS-DOS COMPATIBILITY, APPLE SAID.

THE MACINTOSH SE (SYSTEM EXPANSION), A POWERFUL SYSTEM WITH ADDED INTERNAL STORAGE CAPACITY AND AN ADDITIONAL SLOT FOR ADDED FUNCTIONS, IS EXPECTED TO BECOME APPLE'S MAINSTREAM SYSTEM FOR BUSINESS AND HIGHER EDUCATION APPLICATIONS, IT SAID.

THE MACINTOSH PLUS AND 512K ENHANCED MODELS ARE THE ENTRY-LEVEL SYSTEMS IN THE MACINTOSH FAMILY. MOST MACINTOSH SOFTWARE IS UPWARD COMPATIBLE WITH THE NEW MACINTOSH II AND MACINTOSH SE SYSTEMS.

THE NEW COMPUTERS ARE AIMED AT STRENGTHENING APPLE'S CURRENT POSITION IN BUSINESS AND HIGHER EDUCATION MARKETS AND HELPING THE FIRM EXPAND INTO NEW MARKETS.

APPLE ALSO INTRODUCED A NUMBER OF OTHER PRODUCTS, INCLUDING STORAGE DEVICES, MEMORY UPGRADE KITS, KEYBOARDS, TWO DISPLAY MONITORS, AND A SERIES OF PRODUCTS THAT PERMIT THE INTEGRATION AND ENHANCEMENT OF MS-DOS FILES WITH MACINTOSH FILES. IN A JOINT ANNOUNCEMENT WITH DOW JONES & CO. INC. AND MCI COMMUNICATIONS CORP., APPLE ALSO INTRODUCED NEW ELECTRONIC MAIL SOFTWARE, DESKTOP EXPRESS, THAT LETS USERS SEND GRAPHIC DOCUMENTS OVER TELEPHONE WIRES.

THE COMPANY ALSO INTRODUCED A-UX , AN IMPLEMENTATION OF AT&T'S SYSTEM V UNIX SOFTWARE, FOR OPERATION WITH THE MACINTOSH II WITH DELIVERY LATER THIS SUMMER.

AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH, FRENCH, GERMAN, SPANISH, FLEMISH, NORWEGIAN, JAPANESE, DUTCH, SWEDISH AND ITALIAN, THE NEW MACKINTOSH COMPUTER SYSTEMS INCORPORATE A UNIVERSAL POWER SUPPLY THAT OPERATES WITH ANY VOLTAGE. INTERNATIONAL SALES FOR APPLE ACCOUNTED FOR 26 PC OF REVENUE IN FISCAL 1986.

THE MACINTOSH PERSONAL COMPUTER FAMILY - INCLUDING THE MACINTOSH 512K ENHANCED, THE MACINTOSH PLUS, THE MACINTOSH SE AND THE MACINTOSH II - RANGES IN PRICE FROM $1,699 TO $5,498.

THE NEW COMPUTERS SIGNAL APPLE'S FIRST DIRECT CHALLENGE TO HIGH-PERFORMANCE PERSONAL COMPUTERS MADE BY INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP. AND COMPAQ COMPUTER CORP., WHICH ARE STILL WAITING ON CRUCIAL SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENTS TO UNLOCK THEIR FULL CAPABILITIES.

THE MODELS, PRODUCTS OF A $150 MILLION, 18-MONTH DEVELOPMENT EFFORT, ALSO REPRESENT THE FIRST TIME APPLE HAS BEEN ABLE TO COORDINATE WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF PRODUCTS FROM OTHER COMPANIES THAT IMMEDIATELY TAP THE NEW FEATURES AND CAPABILITIES OF THE NEW APPLE COMPUTERS.

INDUSTRY ANALYSTS GIVEN SNEAK PREVIEWS OF THE NEW MACHINES WERE IMPRESSED WITH THE MACINTOSH II, THE MORE SOPHISTICATED OF THE TWO NEW MODELS. BUT REACTIONS TO THE MACINTOSH SE WERE MORE SUBDUED, MAINLY BECAUSE THAT MODEL OFFERS ONLY LIMITED ADVANTAGES OVER APPLE'S EXISTING MACINTOSH COMPUTERS. NEVERTHELESS, ANALYSTS PREDICTED BOTH MACHINES WOULD SELL WELL.

"APPLE'S BEEN A HOT COMPANY LATELY, AND DESPITE SOME DRAWBACKS, THESE PRODUCTS COULD MAKE IT A SUPERNOVA," SAID STEWART ALSOP, PUBLISHER OF PC LETTER, A PERSONAL COMPUTER NEWSLETTER.