APPLE ANNOUNCES NEW MICRO LINE
By Ken Chapman
Copyright (c) 1990 Apple Users' Group, Sydney
Republished from Applecations, a publication of the Apple Users' Group, Sydney, Australia.
Reprinted from Maple Orchard Vol 8, No 3; May/June 1988
Apple Computer, Inc. today announced the release of a completely new product line. The new series of micro-computers will be based on the earlier Apple /// system, using an enhanced Motorola 65816e processor, as well as math, graphics,sound and HyperTalk co-processors. The new series will have the same look and feel as the earlier Apple ///, although there will be a completely new revolutionary sound system installed at the optional discretion of the purchaser.
"The simple fact is", says John Sculley CEO of Apple, "The Apple /// was ahead of its time. But we didn't abandon it, just as we will never abandon the Apple // series. We truely believe the Apple ///'s time has come." Rumours that Apple Computer may be phasing out the Macintosh line are denied by Apple officials. "However," says Jean Louis Gassee, "we simply cannot sacrifice innovation for the sake of compatibility."
"The Apple SOS environment is simply too powerful and flexible to abandon," Gasee continues, "We just never gave it a proper chance before. But some of our fellows have been continuing to work with the system, and have come up with some truly remarkable capabilities we never before dreamed were possible for a little box that sits on the top of the desk."
Del Yocam, V.P.-manufacturing, noted that it may be true that production of the Macintosh product line may have to be severely curtailed. "We simply don't have the production capacity to handle the anticipated demand for the new Apple /// enhanced model."
Another spokesperson inside Apple Computer who wished to remain unidentified confirmed that parts and supplies for the Macintosh poroducts have not been re-ordered, and minimum stocking levels have been considerably reduced. "We just want to get out of that mess. We know that the new Apple ///e will be a winner. We all feel it. The excitement around here is so intense, everyone is actually running into work every morning, and the only grumbling heard around here now is at quitting time and we're ordered to leave by the armed security personnel."
Rumours of the new product line first began circulating when some third-party developers began talking about new developments they were working on. For example, Supermac Technologies is said to be ready to announce a new 150-gigabyte, 5.25" floppy drive system that just happens to fit snugly into the earlier Apple /// drive casing.
Rumours have alos leaked out of Redmond, Washington, that Microsoft is already working on a new Presentation Manager system for the Apple /// and that Excel had originally been designed to run under SOS but had to be slowed down to accomodate the Macintosh User Interface. Bill Gates was once heard to remark to a group of IBM supporters that he only wished the new OS/2 could come close to the power and speed of "good old SOS".
Microsoft is also rumoured to be developing a speedier version of Unix for the Apple ///e, as well as Fortran, COBOL, BASIC and LOGO packages. Asked if their new product developments included a Pascal compiler, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates replied "No comment!" Steve Jobs of NeXT Inc., when asked if there could be any substance to the reports, replied, "No comment!" However it is known that someone in his company recently placed an order with Motorola for 1,000,000 if the new 65816e chips.
Industry analysts have responded to the news with enthusiasm. DataQuest Research claims, if the rumours are true, Apple Computer will clearly outpace IBM in "gross sales" within six months. Wall Street analysts, on the other hand, are more cautious. "If it's true", commented one rue savante, "there could be major upheavals in current market trends that could have far-reaching effects in the long-term outlook. The thought of the potential market penetration is absolutely staggering. I simply cannot imagine anything of this magnitude happening in our time."
Asked if there would be a gala introduction show similar to the Mac II rollout, Scully replied, "We've invited The Woz to do this one. We feel it needs his touch to kick it off properly." "But," Scully went on, "this does not mean that we are planning on changing advertising agencies. We just want to do the rollout thing right, that's all"
When asked why Apple was thinking of abandoning the Macintosh, Gassee explained, "There are two reasons, really. First of all , the Apple ///e is unquestionably the most powerful micro system we've ever seen, anywhere. We simply cannot ignore the obvious implications of going with it all the way.
"Secondly," he continued, "we have been listening to our customers. They are tired of having to work with a toy. Sure, the Macintosh Users Interface was friendly and all that, but our customers just didn't feel that they were getting a real day's work done with it. They want a computer. They want to know they've got a computer. Well, now they know they're going to get one. And they'll know they've got one."
It has been suggested that the new Apple ///e will be capable of processing 500 MIPS at 75 MHz. It has been further rumoured that Apple Computer is already working on model ///e+ that will employ an expanded keyboard (347 keys, including function keys and 3 Command keys), and will feature the yet-to-be announced Motorola M66816e chip that will process up to 650 MIPS at 85 MHz.

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