Jobs announces new Power Books and OS with support for rewritable DVD......
news.com
Jobs announces two new
notebooks
By Jim Davis
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
May 10, 1999, 12:20 p.m. PT
update SAN JOSE, California--Apple interim chief
executive Steve Jobs announced two new
notebooks--along with updates to the Macintosh
operating system and new distribution deals for the iMac computer--at the
company's Worldwide Developer Conference here.
Jobs made the announcements at the meeting of 2,500 Apple partners and developers,
ostensibly adding to what has been a string of positive events for the
company. Apple stock is near an all-time high, riding the wave of
popularity driven by the company's iMacs, which have been among the
best-selling computers since their release last summer.
Apple also received much publicity--and tons of hits to its Internet site--from hosting trailers
to the upcoming Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.
The two new PowerBooks offer some significant advantages compared to their
predecessors, Jobs said, including advances in weight, size, and battery life. Apple's new
notebooks start at $2,499.
Jobs also introduced Mac OS 8.6, an incremental update to the Macintosh operating
system featuring an updated version of personal search engine Sherlock, advanced power
management for longer battery life, increased PowerBook support for mobile phones,
improved USB and Firewire integration, and support for rewritable DVD.
Apple is shipping a developer's preview of Mac OS X, but has delayed the final release from
this fall to early 2000, Jobs said. OS X was announced at last year's developer's
conference.
The new notebooks offer 14.1-inch displays, weigh around 6 pounds, down from 8 pounds,
and are 20 percent slimmer than previous PowerBooks, Jobs said. The notebooks also
offer 5 hours of battery life, much longer than typical notebook performance of around 2
hours.
The systems will debut running at 333 MHz and 400 MHz,
Jobs said. The 333-MHz notebook will be priced at $2,499,
while the 400-MHz version will cost $3,499.
OpenGL for Macintosh, a version of SGI's application
programming interface (API) and software library for 3D
graphics began shipping today, Apple announced.
Finally, the company's popular iMacs will be offered in 825
Sears department stores, Jobs announced, starting Memorial
Day weekend. |
