eddings@apple.UUCP (Ken Eddings) (01/26/88)
Found this while going through some older press releases and haven't seen it mentioned here. ========================== Apple IIGS Selected for DODDS Schools Cupertino, California. October 30, 1987. Apple Computer, Inc. today announced that the Apple IIGS has been selected for the Department of Defense Schools System (DODDS) by Computer Dynamics, Inc. (CDI), a systems integration, support services and training company based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. This announcement came as a result of a major government contract awarded this month that calls for equipping 270 schools for dependents of American military personnel overseas with personal computers over the next five years. As outlined in the contract, the Apple IIGS will be used by more than 160,000 children, grades kindergarten through twelfth grade, throughout 23 countries in Europe, Central America and the Far East. "We believe the color, graphics and sound of the Apple IIGS, with its growing library of educational software, will enhance the learning process for teachers and students alike," said Charles Berger, Apple's vice president, market development. "Apple's experience in education, and its presence internationally, should serve to support CDI and DODDS in their efforts to place computers in classrooms throughout the world." To comply with DODDS requirements for operating system compatibility, MS-DOS capabilities will be incorporated together with the Apple IIGS existing PRO-DOS architecture. This configuration is achieved by utilizing PC Transporter, an MS-DOS emulator card introduced by Applied Engineering in July. In total, CDI's contract incorporates over 4,000 Apple IIGS 768K systems with color RGB monitors and 3.5-inch and 5.25-inch floppy disk drives. "For more than seven years, CDI has been a proven supplier to the federal government," explained Wes Gibson, CDI's senior vice president of marketing. "With our established track record for service and support, and the innovative solution the Apple IIGS offers, the CDI/Apple team can strongly support the DODDS commitment to place computers in schools worldwide." The CDI/DODDS five-year contract is estimated at approximately $28 million, which includes personal computers, third-party software and peripherals, systems integration, and training and support. Apple anticipates an initial order of approximately 1,700 computers to ship by year end, with the remaining units to be procured over the next four years.