Apple Introduces Color to Its Award-Winning PowerBook Line

MACWORLD, TOKYO--February 9, 1993--Apple Computer, Inc. today introduced the Apple  Macintosh  PowerBook  165c, the first color notebook in its popular PowerBook line. The 165c combines high performance and a sleek ergonomic design with a technically innovative display that provides the quality color capabilities users expect from a Macintosh.

"Many computer users are attracted to color because it offers a richer interface and better represents the real world," said Randy Battat, vice president of Portable Computing.  "But these users can't sacrifice performance.  The PowerBook 165c offers the performance and speed of our top-of-the-line PowerBook along with a highly refined, color display that delivers more standard on-screen colors than any notebook in its class."

Award-Winning Design

The PowerBook 165c shares the distinctive, all-in-one design of the PowerBook 145, 160 and 180.  All-in-one PowerBook computers combine high-performance processing power, rich video and audio capabilities, standard SCSI connections, and built-in AppleTalk  networking, enabling users to work when they want to, where they want to, and how they want to.  The PowerBook features an integrated center trackball, palm rests, and a compact design.

With this introduction, all-in-one PowerBook models include the 145, 160, 165c and 180.  Modular PowerBook models include the PowerBook Duo  210, 230, Duo Dock and Duo MiniDock.

Improved Color Display

The Macintosh PowerBook 165c is equipped with a new passive matrix color display, which offers improved brightness and more uniform and vibrant colors than passive matrix displays offered by competitors. The display produces richer, more fully saturated colors, yielding unmatched color quality on screen.

The 640 x 400 backlit display supports a standard 256 colors from a palette of 4,096 colors.  Comparatively, other color notebooks come standard with only 16 colors.

Fast and Powerful

In addition to the new color display, the PowerBook 165c is equipped with a high-performance Motorola 68030 microprocessor, running at 33MHz, delivering power and speed that is identical to the PowerBook 180.  This speed and power, combined with the capability to display bright, vivid colors, allows PowerBook 165c users to work easily with high-quality graphics and images such as those needed to create and deliver professional presentations.

The 165c also has a 68882 math coprocessor that speeds up complicated numerical calculations. The system comes standard with 4MB of RAM, and will be expandable to 14MB when 10MB memory expansion cards for the 165c become available from third-party developers.

Flexible Video Capabilities

Like the PowerBook 160 and 180, the PowerBook 165c offers flexible video-out capabilities, enabling users to connect the 165c to external monitors and display up to 256 colors.  The on-board video of the 165c supports the Macintosh 16" Color Display, other Apple color and monochrome monitors, some VGA and SVGA displays, and large projection monitors.

The 165c supports video mirroring and dual monitor mode.  Video mirroring allows users to view material on their PowerBook display and an external monitor simultaneously.  Dual monitor mode enables the PowerBook screen to display one set of data while the external monitor displays another.  These features are particularly beneficial to mobile professionals, enabling them to use the 165c to develop an on-the-fly color presentation and the ability to deliver the presentation in a professional manner on-site.

Each PowerBook includes a rechargeable nickel-cadmium battery, AC adapter, video-out cable, System 7.1 software, training software, complete set-up, learning and reference documentation, and a one-year limited warranty.  The 165c also features Apple's EverWatch  battery saver technology, which turns off power-hungry components such as the microprocessor, hard disk, modem and backlighting when not in use, thus extending battery life.  With normal use, a typical battery will last from 1.5 to 2 hours.  EverWatch will extend battery life when all or most of its features are used.  All accessories for all-in-one PowerBook models are compatible with the new PowerBook 165c, including the new PowerBook Express Modem.

Award-Winning PowerBook Line

The PowerBook line recently received Product of the Year awards from Fortune, BusinessWeek and Time magazines.  Additional awards came from MacUser and BYTE magazines.  MacUser named the PowerBook Duo as its Breakthrough Product of 1992 1993, and BYTE gave the PowerBook 180 its highest honor, the prestigious Award of Excellence.

Pricing and Availability

Two PowerBook 165c models will be offered worldwide through authorized Apple resellers. The PowerBook 165c equipped with 4MB of RAM and an 80MB hard drive has a suggested retail price in the United States of $3,399.  A 165c equipped with 4MB of RAM and a 120MB hard drive will carry a suggested retail price of U.S. $3,759.  (Prices will vary outside the United States.)  Both models will ship Feb. 9, 1993, however, Apple expects availability to be limited during initial stages of manufacturing.

Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, and AppleTalk are registered trademarks; and PowerBook, EverWatch, PowerBook Duo, Macintosh Duo and System 7 are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.

Contact:
Pat Kinley
Apple Computer, Inc.
(408) 974-2589