mlyons@pro-fla.cts.com (mlyons, SysAdmin) (06/05/91)
| Notes and Comments - Macintosh | Dedicated to Macintosh Users Everywhere, June 1991 '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Inside this issue: -More Macs? -7 upgrades -New printers -Optical illusions? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 030 Classics? ------------- Sources say that by this fall, Apple's line of high-volume products may include a compact Macintosh powered by a 68030 processor. Prototype units shown to developers were said to contain an LC-size motherboard running a 16-MHz 68030 CPU. With 2 megabytes of RAM and a 40 megabyte hard drive, the machine should be priced at around $2,000. Apple also plans to offer an upgrade path for the current Classics. Since Apple will include a microphone jack with the new Classic, however, it is likely that such an upgrade will involve the changing the back panel as well as the logic board. Although the '030 Classic will have a slot, the machine will not be as expandable as the SE/30. Unlike theprocessor-direct slot in the SE/30, the Classic's slot will be adequate only for a floating point unit or a ROM expansion, due to space, power, and heat considerations. It is still uncertain whether the SE/30 will be discontinued. The change may already be under way: Last month, Apple informed dealers that SE/30's would be in short supply for the upcoming month. Furthermore, Classic sales are about seven times greater than those of the SE/30. With the advent of System 7, however, these figures may change somewhat. Analysts say that these changes make economic sense. By replacing the SE/30, Apple can produce a more streamlined manufacturing of its compact line. Furthermore, by limiting the expandability of the '030 Classic, the less-expensive compact line can be differentiated more clearly from the modular line, which will be the only choice for those seeking color and expandablilty. 7 - 7. What more need I say? Like most Macintosh owners, I don't have a copy of System 7 yet, primarily because my SIMMs are still in the mail (hopefully they'll get here soon) so I can upgrade to the necessary 2 megabytes of RAM. The word on the memory situation is that System 7 roughly needs one more megabyte than System 6, so if you somehow managed to run Multifinder and two applications under System 6 and one megabyte, then you can so the same under two megabytes with System 7. For those of you interested in System 7, the plethora of new features makes it worth your while (see NC May 91), but the compatibility may cause problems (see Software News, this issue). If you're reading this you can probably get System 7 from electronic sources, saving you some money. If you do so, you can make use of Apple's 24-hour recorded message "Top 20 Questions Asked about System 7" (number unavailable due to ignorant dealers). For those who want more support, Apple offers its Personal Upgrade Kit. With this kit comes System 7, a compatibility checker, Hypercard 2.1 (not the full version, of course), manuals, and toll free support from Apple. A Group Upgrade Kit is also available for $349 to help networks upgrade to System 7. I know it almost seems criminal to not write more about System 7 now that its out, but we at NC Mac feel that to write about System 7 before we've tested it and before we can determine user reaction would be a crime. Mixed News From Apple --------------------- Macintosh sales are looking up. Apple shipped 85% more Macs in the second quarter of 1991 than it did in 1990. Impressive, since one might expect sales to drop in a recession year. To keep up with the increased sales brought on by the lower cost computers, Apple has purchased 340,000 square-foot manufacturing site in Fountain, Colorado. The plant is expected to employ 800 to 1000 workers. At the same time InfoWorld reports that Apple may lay off as many as 2,000 workers in an effort to cut operating costs due to smaller profits. Although these seem to be contradictory, perhaps the layoffs, if any, will come from Apple's bloated bureaucracy. Apple is having a rough time on Wall Street as well. Two months ago, Apple's stock was as high as 71 3/4. However, lower projected second-quarter profits brought the down to 62 1/2. Last month, when third-quarter profits were also projected lower than previously Apple's stock again took a beating, falling %14 to 47 1/4. More Apple Hardware ------------------- Apple is now shipping the Macintosh IIci Cache Card. For $399, this addition of quicker RAM should boost performance by 30%. Apple Pacific will ship MacHandwriter, a hardware device that allows handwritten input in the traditional Latin alphabet or in any of three Japanese alphabets. It is compatible with KanjiTalk, the Japanese Mac OS. Could this be a harbinger of a new product for Apple USA and Apple Europe as well? Apple is now shipping the Apple II card for the Mac LC. This card provides LC users with Apple IIe compatibility, including support for an external Apple II 5 1/4-inch disk drive and an Apple joystick. The card will retail for $199 Eyecatching Optical Drives -------------------------- NEC is now shipping two new CD ROM players. The Intersect CDR-73 has an average access time of 300ms (fast for a CD ROM, but most hard drives are in the range 20-40ms) and retails for $999. The Intersect CDR-36 is three times faster than its predecessor, with an access time of 500ms. Weighing only 3 pounds with the optional $99 battery or only 2.2 pounds by itself, this is truly a portable CD ROM player. The CDR-36 lists for $698. Both drives come with Macintosh interfaces. Toshiba should ship the TXM-3300A in July. This CD ROM player has an average access time of 325ms, its strongest selling point is its reliability. The door seals shut to prevent dust from entering. The read lens is also automatically cleaned to reduce errors when reading. With the included interface this product should list for $895. Print the News -------------- The first Adobe PostScript II laser printers will become available on June 12. Hardware and Software That Fits announced the RealTech Laser. Retailing for $1995, this RISC based laser printer comes with 2 megabytes of RAM, expandable to 10 megabytes. The quicker font rendering and compression in PostScript Level II allows this printer to print at 9 pages per minute. Included are Appletalk ports, an IBM parallel port, and a RS-232-C serial port. It also emulates a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet II. Hardware and Software That Fits is also offering trade-ins for Apple LaserWriter owners. Hewlett-Packard, in a move to curb the impact of the Apple StyleWriter, has lowered the price of its DeskWriter. The DeskWriter ink-jet now lists for $729. This brings the DeskWriter within the range of the StyleWriter, although the StyleWriter is still cheaper. Software news: -------------- UserLand Software has announced Frontier, a scripting language for the Mac. Frontier adds a system level scripting capability to the Macintosh OS, communicating through standard Apple events. Providing deeper functionality than Hypercard, these scripts take full advantage of Apples InterApplication Communication. The scripts are written in a language similar to C, and are simple enough to be create by novices. Microsoft's long awaited Excel 3.0 is now shipping. A new tool bar beneath the menu bar makes common operations easier. Excel now has an outlining capability to organize your data. Autosizing of columns, drawing tools, style sheets, and more flexibility in the Print Preview box are just a few other "cosmetic" touches. Version 3.0 includes a 3-D charting function, new analytical tools, and more powerful macros. Unfortuneately, this program takes 3-4 megabytes of hard disk space Excel 3.0 is System 7.0 friendly (although it uses Microsoft's OLE) and retails for $495. LetraSet's new FontStudio 2.0 can create and convert TrueType fonts, LetraStudio fonts, and Adobe Type 1 and 3 fonts. This update can also autmatically add hinting to fonts. LetraSet's LetraStudio 2.0 will handle color better, import Illustrator 3.0 outlines, and has increased in speed as well. FontStudio lists for $595, and the pricing of LetraStudio is not yet available. System 7 is only as good as the software that it can run. Here's a list of some popular packages and how the react to System 7: System 7 Friendly or Compatible: 4th Dimension Accountant, Inc. 2.2 Canvas 3.0 ColorBoard 364 F.G. 3.2 Color Studio 1.5 DesignCad 3.0 Digital DarkRoom 2.01 DiskFit 2.7 DiskPaper 1.0 Excel 3.0 GQL Illustrator 3.0.1 Liason 3.02 MacWrite Pro Microphone II 4.0 PageMaker 4.01 PixelPaint 2.0 QuarkXOress 3.1 RagTime 3.1 Resolve 1.0 SAM 3.0 Shiva Config 3.6 Soft PC 1.3 Voice Navigator II System 7 Incompatible: Aask Apple 8-24GL A/UX Startup Curator Customizer DataStream File Maker Plus FinderKeys Font/DA Juggler Lookup Mock Terminal QuickKeys 2 Microsoft Write ShowPlace SoftTalk SpeedCard Tops *This is only a partial list. If a product is not listed here it only means we have no information on it. Products listed may now have a System 7 compatible package ready for release. ============================================================================ Latest line on 1 MEG SIMMS: --------------------------- MacProducts USA 1-800-MAC-DISK advertises $44 for 70/80ns Bottom Line Distribution 1-900-420-3737 advertises $35 for 120ns Know of a better price on SIMMs? Tell us the price and where it was printed and we'll put it here. We do not endorse any of the companies mentioned here, but only mention them to keep you informed of the latest and lowest prices around. ============================================================================ Sources: -------- 030 Classics?: MacWEEK 5/21/91 pp.1,115 7: MacUser 7/91 p.98; Apple Mixed News From Apple: InfoWorld 5/20/91 p. 3; 5/6/91 p.8; MacWorld 6/91 p.18; 7/91 p.17 More Apple Hardware: MacWorld 6/91 p. 17,18; 7/91 p.18 Eyecatching Optical Drives: MacWorld 6/91 p.17; 7/91 pp.17-18 Print the News: InfoWorld 5/20/91 p. 44; Hardware and Software that Fits; MacWorld 7/91 p.18 Software news: -Frontier: InfoWorld 5/6/91 p.5; -Excel 3.0: InfoWorld 5/13/91 p. 44; MacUser 7/91 pp.56-57 -LetraSet: InfoWorld 5/20/91 p.44; MacWorld 7/91 p.17 -System 7: InfoWorld 5/13/91 p.112; 5/20/91 p.44; MacUser 7.91 pp.98-106 =========================================================================== Publisher Note: Notes and Comments: Macintosh will be 'batched out' to ProLine sites. Please watch for it. Thank you for your support, mlyons =========================================================================== Contributors: Gene Chang Macintosh editor: Peter Kovac (pkovac@pro-fla) General Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within these bytes do not necessarily reflect the views of Pro-Fla or any other electronic bulletin board service where this is found. Trademarks, logos, brand and product names are registered trademarks of their respective holders. If you wish to subscribe, submit an article, or disagree with anything contained on these bytes, write or ask your sysop to send your message to; INET: editor@pro-fla.cts.com | Notes and Comments UUCP: crash!editor@pro-fla | Macintosh Editor ProLine: pro-fla!editor | 9623 Sun Dial Dr. AOL: Handles | Tampa, FL 33635-1125 Call Pro-Fla (813)885-1552. <8N1> 1200-9600 v32, v42. Deadline: end of each month. *Copyright (c) Michael A.Lyons* Editor, founder, publisher, and gofor: mlyons@pro-fla.