mjohnson@Apple.COM (Mark B. Johnson) (05/14/91)
Apple Begins Shipping System 7:
More Than 100 New Third-Party Products Announced
SAN JOSE, California--May 13, 1991--Apple Computer, Inc. today
announced to more than 2,000 Macintosh computer software and
hardware developers that it is shipping System 7, the much-
anticipated upgrade to the Macintosh operating system and the most
significant enhancement to Macintosh since its introduction in
1984. The announcement took place at the annual Apple Worldwide
Developers Conference in San Jose.
Today's System 7 announcement follows a string of actions taken by
the company to expand the Macintosh product family to appeal to a
much greater number of users. Last fall, Apple announced three
new low-cost Macintosh computers, which have enjoyed brisk sales
worldwide. In March, Apple lowered prices on the rest of its
Macintosh product line and also announced two new affordable
printers. Today, with its new System 7, Apple offers all
Macintosh users a significant advance forward with even greater
ease of use and powerful new features for their current Macintosh
system.
"Macintosh system software is Apple's greatest strength, and we
intend to use this advantage aggressively to become a much bigger
player in the industry," said John Sculley, Apple's chairman and
chief executive officer. "Our system software has set a standard
that others have struggled to meet. System 7 sets a new standard,
thereby widening the gap between what one can do with a computer,
and what one can do with a Macintosh."
System 7 strengthens the Macintosh computer's usability
immediately with built-in features that automatically work with
thousands of new and currently shipping Macintosh applications.
Some of these features include a new Finder, or "desktop," which
makes using the Macintosh even easier; TrueType(TM), which ensures
sharp type quality at any size; File Sharing, which allows any
user to share designated items with any other user over a network
without a dedicated file server; Virtual Memory, which provides
expanded availability of the computer's memory for programs; and
Multitasking, which allows customers to work with multiple
applications and perform several tasks concurrently.
System 7 also includes many new technologies for developers to
promote more cooperation between different applications and among
groups of users, and to fuel new, innovative applications software
for the Macintosh. The Macintosh is the only personal computer to
offer the benefits of these technologies over a network. Some of
these new features include InterApplication Communication (IAC)
and Data Access Manager. Based on these, and other new
technologies, developers have already created more than 100 new
applications, giving users completely new ways to use computers.
Industry support of System 7 has been extremely strong. All major
developers now have products that are compatible with System 7.
Some of these developers include Claris Corp., Microsoft Corp.,
Ashton-Tate, Oracle Corp., Autodesk, Inc., Symantec Corp., Aldus
Corp., Acius, Inc., Adobe Systems, Inc., Great Plains Software,
Farallon Computing Inc., Interleaf, Inc., WordPerfect Corp., and
Novell, Inc. In addition, Apple expects most of the more than
4,000 Macintosh applications currently shipping to be compatible
with the new System 7.
In the United States, Apple has announced immediate availability
of two System 7 upgrade products through authorized resellers. A
Personal Upgrade Kit, with all the tools and documentation to
upgrade a single computer to System 7, is available for $99
manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP), and a Group Upgrade
Kit, with special tools to assist in upgrading an entire office or
organization to System 7, is available for $349 (MSRP). Both kits
also include free phone support from Apple (the Personal Upgrade
Kit for 90 days and the Group Upgrade Kit for 180 days).
Beginning immediately in the United States, every new Macintosh
computer sold will include a coupon for a free System 7 upgrade.
Beginning this summer in the United States, Apple will include
System 7 in the box with all new Macintosh computers.
Availability, pricing, upgrade kit contents and support options
outside the United States will vary by country.
-30-
Apple, the Apple logo, Finder and Macintosh are registered
trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Balloon Help and TrueType are
trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
--
Mark B. Johnson AppleLink: mjohnson
Developer Technical Support domain: mjohnson@Apple.com
Apple Computer, Inc. UUCP: {amdahl,decwrl,sun,unisoft}!apple!mjohnson
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