Apple Introduces First 300 Megahertz Desktop Computer

Simplifies Desktop Line Under Power Macintosh Brand

Lake Buena Vista, Fla.--April 4, 1997--Apple Computer, Inc. is bringing unprecedented speed to the home desktop with today's announcement of the Apple Power Macintosh 6500/300--the first 300 megahertz system available today. Following less than two months after Apple introduced the fastest laptop computer currently available, the new Power Macintosh 6500 line gives customers a choice of systems ranging in speeds from 225 to 300 megahertz, all with accelerated multimedia features; built-in Internet access capabilities; and, advanced video capture, edit and publishing options. The announcement reflects Apple's drive toward a simplified desktop line under the strength of the Power Macintosh brand.

"The introduction of the first 300 megahertz personal computers should be viewed as a sign that Apple is one hundred percent committed to providing individuals with the most powerful multimedia systems for home, small business, and education," said Guerrino de Luca, Apple's executive vice president of Marketing. "Our new Power Macintosh 6500 series matches world class power with the competitive prices that consumers expect."

Aggressively priced in the United States from around U.S. $2,000 for the Power Macintosh 6500/225 to around U.S. $3,000 for the top-of-the-line Power Macintosh 6500/300, the new series is designed to run Mac OS 7.6, the upcoming Mac OS 8, as well as Apple's next-generation Macintosh system software--code named Rhapsody.

The unveiling of the Power Macintosh 6500 series is marked by the kick-off of a three-day "Multimedia Discovery" technology fair at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Co-hosted by Apple and Disney, the fair showcases the power and fun of multimedia with performance and capabilities that only the Macintosh can deliver. From playing the hottest 3D accelerated games for the Macintosh, to exploring video conferencing as a way for students to solve typical school homework problems, the technology fair offers interactive and engaging multimedia activities at the Epcot Theme Park along with special media creativity workshops being held at Apple's existing exhibit at Innoventions. All activities are planned to take place from April 4 through 6 and are designed to provide Disney guests the opportunity to discover the dynamic world of multimedia using leading-edge Apple technology.

Power Macintosh Systems Equipped With New Motorola PowerPC Chip

The new Power Macintosh 6500 series significantly enhances performance in areas such as media capture, creation, editing and publishing, 2D and 3D graphics and processor speed for home, small business and education customers. Based on in-house tests running real applications, the new Power Macintosh systems complete tasks up to twice the speed of Pentium processors with MMX technology running at 200 megahertz. A user's actual performance may vary depending on what tasks they are performing.

"Our version of the PowerPC 603e chip is the first mainstream, volume microprocessor in the industry to reach the speed of 300 MHz," said Tom Gunter, corporate vice president and general manager of Motorola's RISC Microprocessor Division. "Motorola applauds Apple's ability to bring both the fastest home desktop and the fastest notebook to the market within two months of each other--all based on the high-performance, low-power PowerPC 603e microprocessor family."

Performance, User Experience, Connectivity, Compatibility, Industrial Design All Part Of The Power Macintosh Experience

The Power Macintosh 6500 mini-tower systems are equipped with powerful integrated hardware and software components. Each come with a minimum 256K level 2 cache, with 512K standard on the 6500/275 and 6500/300 systems; 32MB to 64MB of RAM (expandable to 128MB); a 3GB or 4GB hard drive; 16-bit CD-quality stereo sound with SRS surround sound and integrated dual-mode subwoofer; and, Iomega Zip drives are standard in three models allowing customers to easily transfer large files, backup critical applications and expand storage capacity. The ATI RAGE II graphics acceleration chip provides Mac customers with video and graphics performance previously seen only in high-end systems. The 6500 series' advanced multimedia functionality includes accelerated QuickTime and QuickTime MPEG for impressive full screen, full motion movie playback; accelerated QuickDraw and QuickDraw 3D for fast, fluid handling of complex 2D and 3D graphics; and, accelerated video capture for video editing, Internet video conferencing, and, general purpose image input.

Other standard features include 2MB of video RAM to support millions of colors on 17" monitors, built-in 12x-speed CD-ROM drive, a built-in 33.6kps modem for fast "single-click" connectivity to the Internet and advanced telephony capabilities such as digital voicemail and send/receive faxing. Each system also comes with keyboard, mouse and high-quality software bundles. Monitors are sold separately.

Configurations, Availability and Estimated U.S. Retail Pricing

The Power Macintosh 6500 series comes in five configurations to meet the diverse price-performance and feature needs of home, small business and education customers. Additionally, each system comes with an array of powerful, high-quality applications and CD-ROMs. [Note to Editors: for a detailed list of preinstalled software/CD-ROM titles on each system, please refer to apple.com.]

The Power Macintosh 6500/300 and Power Macintosh 6500/275 systems are planned to be available in limited quantities later this spring. The Power Macintosh 6500/225 and 6500/250 models are scheduled to be available immediately. Pricing, configurations, product availability, and software bundles vary.

All pricing listed represents estimated U.S. retail prices, and may vary.

Apple Computer, Inc., a recognized innovator in the information industry and leader in multimedia technologies, creates powerful solutions based on easy-to-user personal computers, servers, peripherals, software, information appliances and Internet technologies. Headquartered in Cupertino, California, Apple develops, manufactures, licenses and markets solutions, products, technologies and services for business, education, home use, entertainment, scientific and engineering and government customers in more than 140 countries.

Press Information Contact:
Russell Brady
Apple Computer, Inc.
(408) 974-6877
email: brady2@apple.com
Tami Begasse
Apple Computer, Inc.
(408) 974-3156
email: begasse@apple.com

Press Information Contact:
If you are considering the purchase of an Apple product and would like to have product information faxed to you, please call 1-800-462-4396 in the U.S. or 1-800-263-3394 in Canada. If you do not have a fax machine or would like to locate an Apple authorized reseller near you, please call 1-800-538-9696. Customers outside the U.S. should contact their local Apple representatives for information.

NOTE TO EDITORS: To attend the press conference on April 4, 1997 at Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, Fla., please contact Tami Begasse, 800.946.4645 - PIN 3470636. Location: Contemporary Resort, Walt Disney World Time: 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. (EST)

To participate in a audio simulcast (listen only) of the April 4 press event from 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. (EST), please access numbers as follows: United States: (800) 553-0272 International: (612) 332-0523

Please instruct the press to dial in at least 10-15 minutes prior to the start time of the call to get online and ask to be connected to the "Apple Computer Press Conference." The press will be placed in a "listen-only" mode during the call and will not be able to ask questions.

To access Apple press releases, background material, and contact information on the web, visit The Source at: http://www.apple.com/source/. If you are interested in receiving Apple press releases by fax, call 1-800-AAPL-FAX (1-800-227-5329) and enter your PIN number. If you do not have a PIN number, contact Apple's Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042 to request one. If you would like to receive Apple press releases by email, please send an email message to pressrel@thing2.info.apple.com. Include the text "subscribe pressrel [your full name]" in the body of the message. To remove your address from the mailing list send an email message to pressrel@thing2.info.apple.com. Include the text "remove pressrel" in the body of the message.

Apple's home page on the World Wide Web: http://www.apple.com/

Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, and Power Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. PowerPC and the PowerPC logo are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation, used under license therefrom. All other brand names mentioned are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders, and are hereby acknowledged.