lemke@apple.com (Steve Lemke) (10/16/90)
Just in case this hasn't been posted yet, I saw this on AppleLink:
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Sandra Bateman
Apple Computer, Inc.
(408) 974-5460
Apple Cuts Cost of Color by 60 Percent with New Macintosh LC
FREMONT, California--October 15, 1990--Lowering the cost of color computing on
the Macintosh by more than 60 percent, Apple Computer, Inc. today announced the
new Apple Macintosh LC. The new computer's slim, 2-inch-high design houses a
robust system that integrates color text and graphics, sound input, optional
Apple II software compatibility and several other advanced features. Customers
in schools, offices and homes can now have the many advantages of a color
Macintosh at a much lower price.
"Thanks to a high level of integration, we were able to combine all of the
hallmark features of Macintosh--ease-of-use, consistency across applications,
and built-in networking--with the advantages of color at a lower cost than
ever," said Randy Battat, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Product
Marketing. "With all of these features, we believe the Macintosh LC will
attract more people to a new standard of low-cost color computing."
Standard Features and Benefits
Based on the 16-megahertz (MHz) Motorola 68020 microprocessor, the Macintosh LC
provides a performance foundation that is more than two times faster than the
Macintosh SE. It comes standard with a 40-megabyte (MB) internal hard disk
drive to provide ample storage for files and applications. The 2MB of RAM
(expandable up to 10MB) gives users the ability to upgrade as needs increase
and allows them to work with large amounts of data and sophisticated
applications. Also standard on the LC is an internal 1.44MB Apple SuperDrive
floppy disk drive, which provides almost twice the storage capacity of 800K
disk drives and allows users to easily exchange data files between Macintosh,
OS/2, MS-DOS, and Apple II ProDOS systems. As with all Macintosh computers,
the Macintosh LC will run System 7.0, Apple's next major release of the
Macintosh operating system.
Sound Input
The LC comes with a microphone that allows users to record and store their
voice in Macintosh documents in much the same way hand-written notes are added
to printed documents. And because all Macintosh computers already have the
ability to play back sound, the millions of existing Macintosh users benefit
from these sound-annotated documents as much as new purchasers.
"Voice is probably the most practical and common form of communication," said
John Scull, president of MacroMind, a software developer for the Macintosh.
"We believe sound is going to become very popular and important to personal
computing in the next few years and that's one reason we've built it into
MacroMind's new MediaMaker. I expect to see many other developers follow suit
as they discover exciting ways to take advantage of the new Macintosh sound-in
capability in their upcoming products as well."
Built-in Support for a Choice of Monitors
Because monitor support is already built into the modular design of the
Macintosh LC, users can connect a display without having to add a separate
video card. The following three monitors are supported by the Macintosh LC:
the new Macintosh 12-inch RGB Display, (up to 256 colors), the new Macintosh
12-inch Monochrome Display (up to 16 shades of gray) and the AppleColor
High-Resolution RGB Monitor (up to 16 colors). (See separate news release for
detailed information on Apple's new monitors.)
With an optional Macintosh LC 512K VRAM (Video Random-Access Memory) SIMM
(Single In-line Memory Module), all three monitors are capable of generating
even more colors or shades of gray (32,000 colors on the new 12-inch color
monitor, 256 colors on the 13-inch color monitor, and 256 shades of gray on the
12-inch monochrome monitor). This gives customers more lifelike images and
visual depth.
Expansion Options
Designed to be low cost and yet easily customizable, the Macintosh LC includes
several standard features which allow users to expand their system as needed.
These features include built-in AppleTalk networking, which allows customers to
easily connect their systems to other users, printers and file servers; Small
Computer Systems Interface (SCSI), which lets customers connect peripherals
such as CD-ROM drives, external hard disks, and scanners; and Apple Desktop Bus
(ADB), which gives customers a standard way to connect keyboards, mice,
trackballs, modems and graphics tablets.
In addition, the Macintosh LC is equipped with an 020 processor direct slot.
This gives users the ability to customize their system with additional
capabilities such as graphics, networking and other options.
Apple IIe Compatibility Option
Among the options for the processor direct slot, Apple is offering an Apple IIe
Card that addresses the special needs of schools and other customers with an
investment in Apple II technology.
This card allows the Macintosh LC to function as an Apple II and run most
all of the 10,000 software programs compatible with the AppleJIIe--at the same
or better speed and image quality than on an Apple II computer. In addition,
the Apple IIe Card allows access to the built-in features of the Macintosh LC,
such as sound output, mouse, modems, file servers, hard disk, floppy disk,
monitor and networking.
"The optional Apple IIe Card in the new Macintosh LC gives our millions of
education customers the best of both worlds by providing a 'no compromise'
bridge between the Apple II and Macintosh product lines," said Bernard Gifford,
Ph.D, Apple's vice president of Education Marketing. "The new capability
allows schools to protect and leverage their prior investments in Apple II
hardware, software and training and gives them the greatest freedom of choice."
Pricing and Availability
The Macintosh LC will ship in limited quantities in the fourth calendar quarter
of 1990 and will be available in volume worldwide in late January 1991 through
all Apple authorized resellers. It comes standard with a keyboard, mouse,
microphone, complete documentation, Macintosh System Software, HyperCard 2.0
software, training disks, and a one-year limited warranty. Manufacturer's
suggested retail prices (MSRP) on the Macintosh LC and related products are as
follows:
ProductMSRPAvailability
- Macintosh LC 2MB RAM/40MB Hard Disk $2,499 Limited Quantity-Calendar Q4
1990; In Volume-Late January
1991
- Macintosh 12" Monochrome Display $299 December 1990*
- Macintosh 12" RGB Display $599 Immediate
- AppleColor High Resolution RGB Monitor $999 Currently Available
- Apple IIe Card $199 March 1991
- Macintosh LC 512K VRAM $199 January 1991
*Existing Apple High-Resolution Monochrome Monitor is currently available. The
suggested retail price is reduced to $299 effective immediately.
(Prices and configurations may vary outside the United States.)
-30-
Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, AppleColor, AppleTalk, HyperCard and ProDOS
are registered trademarks; Apple Desktop Bus and SuperDrive are trademarks of
Apple Computer, Inc. MediaMaker is a trademark of MacroMind.
--
----- Steve Lemke, Engineering Quality Assurance, Radius Inc., San Jose -----
----- Reply to: lemke@radius.com (Note: NEW domain-style address!!) -----gillies@m.cs.uiuc.edu (10/17/90)
> ... all three monitors are capable of generating even more colors or > shades of gray (32,000 colors on the new 12-inch color monitor, ... Does this mean the new 12" color monitor only accepts 32 levels of grey for each of the Red, Green, and Blue picture guns? Why is the hardware only capable of displaying 32,000 colors? Does the "LC" in the name stand for "Lack ColorLookupTable" ?