gtt@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (diana) (03/02/90)
...Macintosh News rumors, then? :-) ______________ From "Macintosh News", 26Feb90 Rick Doherty's _The_Mac's_Factor_ Column, p.14 THE APPLE II, PART II --------------------- There's still a battle brewing within Apple Products as to what form the next Apple II product will take. On the one hand, Apple is ready to push the production button on a NuBus card (an SE card is possible) that will allow Macs to run Apple II software. But there are others that argue that it's time the loyal Apple IIe and IIgs owners get a chance for Macintosh operation. The peacemaker in this case is a new version of HyperCard, one which will add new networking and paint capabilities to the Mac while allowing Apple II owners access to HyperCard authoring--at least Apple IIs with a megabyte or more of memory. The other product close to getting nudged into release is a new, even faster, version of the Apple IIgs operating system. This new OS will allow many existing applications to run nearly as fast as a Mac. And that's got Apple worrying about when to pull the life-support plug on the Mac Plus. After the Mac Plus in gone, if the IIgs is still alive, Apple may get ready to breathe new life into the WD65816 processor. However, a faster IIgs processor chip would make many off-the-shelf color Apple II applications threaten the color low cost Mac planned for late 1990 or mid 1991. The reason Apple is hedging on these Apple II/Mac bridge products is that they can all be rushed to market in a fraction of the time that a new CPU can be launched. The HyperCard software can be released through normal distribution. And the II in a Mac or Mac in a II are likely to be board-level products. They've already been evaluted as prototypes, and can be brought to market faster than a new computer. The reason for the speed: the wizards at the Apple Advanced Technology Group. ATG engineers work out of several nondescript buildings in Cupertino. In fact, just like the opening to the "Man From Uncle" TV series, the next time you're in a tailor shop and some people duck, an ATG lab could be back there! The important thing about ATG is that these folks have again pulled Jean Louis Gassee's fat out of the fire by producing prototypes that are close to production quality the first time out. _________ Well, at least it doesn't come from MacWEEK. :-) ______________________________________________________________________________ | Jonathan Neuenschwander |"My views on evolution? | | USENET: tippy!buzz@newton.physics.purdue.edu | I think Darwin was | | AMERICA ONLINE: Buzz Lee | adopted." --Steven Wright | |________________________________________________|___________________________| |DISCLAIMER: The opinions and views depicted here are completely fictious. | |Any resemblence to any actual opinions or views, either living or dead, is | |purely coincidental. | |____________________________________________________________________________|
Justin_Randall_Padawer@cup.portal.com (03/04/90)
Excellent observations; very interesting.