Apple Introduces First 300 Megahertz Desktop Computer

CobraBoy (tbyars@earthlink.net)
Sat, 5 Apr 1997 09:05:31 -0800


Check out the configurations at the bottom.

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Simplifies Desktop Line Under Power Macintosh Brand

Power Macintosh Systems Equipped With New Motorola
PowerPC Chip
Performance, User Experience, Connectivity, Compatibility
Configurations, Availability and Estimated U.S. Retail
Pricing

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.

Power Macintosh 6500/300: U.S. $3,000
300MHz/64MB RAM/4GB hard drive/12x-speed CD-ROM
drive/Iomega Zip drive/33.6kps modem/L2-512 cache
Software/CD-ROMs included: Home bundle featuring personal
productivity, learning/reference, games/entertainment
and Internet titles
such as Adobe Photo Deluxe, ClarisWorks 4.0 and
Quicken SE by
Intuit.

Power Macintosh 6500/275: U.S. $3,000
275MHz/32MB RAM/4GB hard drive/12x-speed CD-ROM
drive/33.6kps modem/L2-512 cache/Avid Cinema/Apple Video
System/Apple TV/FM Radio System
Software/hardware/CD-ROMs included: Creative Studio
bundle
featuring everything creative individuals need to
capture, create, edit
and publish video, music/audio, 3D graphics, art,
photos and Internet
content--from Adobe PageMill 2.0 to Microspot 3D
World for 3D
creation.

Power Macintosh 6500/250: U.S. $2,600
250MHz/48MB RAM/4GB hard drive/12x-speed CD-ROM
drive/Iomega Zip drive/33.6kps modem/L2-256 cache
Software/CD-ROMS included: Small Business bundle
featuring
presentation, Internet access, and finance,
productivity and business
management titles such as the newly enhanced
Microsoft Office for
Macintosh and Symantec's Norton Utilities.

Power Macintosh 6500/250: U.S. $2,300
250MHz/32MB RAM/4GB hard drive/12x-speed CD-ROM
drive/Iomega Zip drive/33.6kps modem/L2-256 cache
Software/CD-ROMs included: Home software bundle.

Power Macintosh 6500/225: U.S. $2,000
225MHz/32MB RAM/3GB hard drive/12x-speed CD-ROM
drive/33.6kps modem/L2-256 cache
Software/CD-ROMs included: Home software bundle.

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.

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