mcf@mulga.OZ (Michael Flower) (10/01/86)
------------------------------------- I have heard rumours that Apple are releasing a machine called the "Johnathon" in the near future. It is rumoured that the machine will incorporate a 68020, Lisa like screen (color?) and run System V with a Mac like interface on top. It is also rumoured that it will run Mac S/W. Could anyone comment on the veracity of these rumours and enhance the product description for me. In particular: What are the H/W features? (more detail). Will it run Mac and Unix S/W? When is it to be released? How much is it likely to cost (US or Aus $)? Thanks in anticipation, Michael Flower, Manager, Systems Development Group, Dept of Comp. Sci., University of Melbourne. INTERNET: mcf%munnari.oz@seismo.css.gov UUCP: ucbvax!seismo!munnari!mcf CSNET: mcf%munnari.oz@csnet-relay.csnet ACSNET: mcf@munnari.oz
chuq@sun.uucp (Chuq Von Rospach; Lord of the OtherRealms) (10/05/86)
> I have heard rumours that Apple are releasing a machine called > the "Johnathon" in the near future. > It is rumoured that the machine will incorporate a 68020, Lisa like > screen (color?) and run System V with a Mac like interface on top. > It is also rumoured that it will run Mac S/W. > > Could anyone comment on the veracity of these rumours Oh, boy, another shopping list! A good chance to play anti-Dvorak (in essence, to try to throw some reason at a rumor, instead of the obverse) and impart some of my wonderful (in my own view) wisdom. Please be aware that I'm talking through my hat here. I have no official connection with Apple, and no sources of information that aren't generally public (I even read Dvorak, mainly for comedy relief). I DO watch the market, Apple, and the rumor mill incessantly, and enjoy trying to piece all the hints together. Hencewith, here is The Apple According to Chuq. First, to put away a rumor to rest completely. The Macintosh will never, ever, (like not now or in the future) run Unix in any form. Apple DOES ahve major development going on in the Unix environment, but it is for a new, non-Mac compatible high-end family of computers closer to the Sun/Apollo world than anything else. It is NOT Mac compatible (repeat after me. It is NOT Mac compatible), and is based on a Mac like windowing interface they got when they picked up Cadmus. Primary orientations will be high end (Sun/Interleaf) desktop publishing and Cad, to the professional and engineering environments. This is NOT a consumer machine. I'd guess a price range of $8K to $12K for a machine with reasonable features, such as enough disk for Unix, a 68020/68881, high resolution grayscale or color monitor, and the like. I've heard announcement dates ranging from November to March, and I'd guess December -- since this isn't a consumer machine, it shouldn't (that doesn't mean it won't!) hurt the all important Christmas sales. Should be interesting. Now, back to Macland. For the next year, two new machines, and a bunch of upgrades. Keywords: 68020, 68881, color, VME. New machine 1: The open mac. a 68020 machine (68881 probably optional) with 2 meg standard memory, expandable forever, more or less. Three or eight VME slots, depending on who you talk to (count on three, for cost reasons), a standard Mac Screen (more on Big screens later), and possibly an internal hard disk. This Mac will be in three pieces, CPU/VME box, keyboard, and monitor. The monitor will be in a VME slot so you can unplug it and toss in the monitor of your choice. New machine 2: The color Mac. The existing Mac plus, upgraded to 2 Meg of memory, an 8 bit color screen the same size (and pixel density!) of the current mac, with 68020/68881. This will be a closed Mac with color, basically. Upgrades: Mac+ to 68020Mac+, and 68020MacPlus to Color mac, in the same general form as the 512K to 512K extended and extended to Mac+. This way you can buy in anywhere in the product line and upgrade as you need the new functionality. The only product that won't be in the upgrade path is the Open Mac. Big Screens: Apple will NOT be shipping Mac configurations with big screens. Why? It would generate too many configuration options for dealers to stock, causing amazing amounts of inventory pain and bruhaha from the dealers. Instead, the Open Mac gives a standard interface for display people to use, so if you need a big screen, you buy the Open Mac and pick up whatever third party system you want. Third party hardware is no longer a nasty word at apple, expect big screen announcements at the same time as the new Macs. When all the dust settles, expect four machines in the Mac family. The 1Meg 68020 mac (upgraded from the 512K extended), the same with SCSI (68020 Mac+), the color mac, and the open mac. Price ranges: good question. The new low end machine (a significant upgrade from the 512K extended) at about the same price, up to the high end open mac (say, $4K without hard disk). Announcements. I've recently heard February and November. November announcements would kill Christmas sales, so that's out. So are stockholder annoucnements. I'm still holding out for March, far enough beyond Christmas not to piss off the holiday buyers, but not too far in the future. February is most likely. [Side comment. did anyone else notice that Apple bought time for the Superbowl? Should be fascinating.....] Other Toys. Don't expect neat whizzo's in the Hard Disk market, Apple is going to let the third party people continue to supply it. The long awaited File Server is still long awaited, and it looks like 3Com may well market it away from Apple. In general, any place the 3rd party is doing a good job, don't expect Apple to come stomping in (see, they AREN;T turning into another IBM....) Where they WILL shine is printing technology, the other place they are (with Adobe) the acknowledge leader. Expect a new Imagewriter, with a hook. It will speak Postscript (finally). Downside? Cost -- doubtful to be under $500-$600, but expect 150-200 dpi capability (half the laserwriter). Also expect a new laserwriter for about $2000-$2500, about that of a Laserjet. IF that doesn't put the wrath of God into Impress folks, nothing will. Also, expect the current laserwriter+ to use the new Adobe 68020 engine (20 pages/minute) for about the same price. Finally, expect (probably mid-87, not with the rest of the bunch) a newer, whizzier laserwriter with something like 600dpi capability, which is about as far as you can go on paper. About half a Linotype, but who'll notice. That's about it. You're welcome to send me checks if you think this analysis is worth some money, otherwise it is worth what you paid for. Expect me to crow next year if I'm right, I'm sure I'll get called on it otherwise... Either way, enjoy. chuq (rebuttals, anyone?)
wmd@kran.UUCP (10/06/86)
I heard from an unnamed source that the "Open Mac" and the Apple UNIX box were one in the same piece of hardware. However, you could run one operating system or (XOR) the other (i.e. not both) on the box. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Malcolm Duncan ...ihnp4!pur-ee!pur-phy!kran!wmd My comments, opinions and ideas are not mine and never have been.
csfred@violet.berkeley.edu (Frederick A. Huxham) (10/07/86)
I really hate to disagree with Chuq but... >> I have heard rumours that Apple are releasing a machine called >> the "Johnathon" in the near future. >> It is rumoured that the machine will incorporate a 68020, Lisa like >> screen (color?) and run System V with a Mac like interface on top. >> It is also rumoured that it will run Mac S/W. >> >> Could anyone comment on the veracity of these rumours > >Please be aware that I'm talking through my hat here. I have no official >connection with Apple, and no sources of information that aren't generally >public (I even read Dvorak, mainly for comedy relief). I DO watch the >market, Apple, and the rumor mill incessantly, and enjoy trying to piece all >the hints together. Hencewith, here is The Apple According to Chuq. > >First, to put away a rumor to rest completely. The Macintosh will never, >ever, (like not now or in the future) run Unix in any form. Apple DOES have >major development going on in the Unix environment, but it is for a new, >non-Mac compatible high-end family of computers closer to the Sun/Apollo >world than anything else. It is NOT Mac compatible (repeat after me. It is >NOT Mac compatible), and is based on a Mac like windowing interface they >got when they picked up Cadmus. > >... > >chuq (rebuttals, anyone?) When I was at the University Consortium meeting in June/July of '86, Gasse, in his talk stated that Apple was definitely working on a new Mac that ran a Unix operating system. He said this to an auditorium of at least 200-300 people. It wasn't a secret meeting or anything. In fact there was at least one reporter from MacWorld in attendence, and yet I haven't seen anything written anywhere about Gasse's comments. Gasse said that the machine would run system 5 Unix with Berkeley 4.2 extensions. He pointed out that the machine would run in EITHER Unix mode or Mac mode. It initially however, would not run a Mac interface to Unix, that would be released a year or so later. So, at least in June/July of '86 Apple, (or at least Gasse), had plans for a Unix based Mac, and also had no problem telling a few hundred people about it. As for commenting on any of the other rumors, my roommate (who works at Apple), and some non-disclosures (with my name on them), seal my lips. Fred