Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!pro-angmar.UUCP!awillis From: awillis@pro-angmar.UUCP (Albert Willis) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple Subject: New Apple II introductions Message-ID: <8803100916.AA16112@crash.cts.com> Date: 9 Mar 88 16:48:48 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: pnet01!pro-angmar!awillis@nosc.MIL Organization: The Internet Lines: 427 Six New Products Extend AppleTalk Network System to K-12 Boston, Massachusetts. March 1, 1988. Apple Computer, Inc. today announced six products that extend the reach and power of the AppleTalk(R) Network System with new capabilities designed for the education market, including AppleTalk network support for users of enhanced Apple(R) IIe and Apple IIGS(R) computers. The products were announced here at Education Connections, Apple's first stop in an eight-city tour targeted at top-level educators. The AppleTalk Network System offers a range of network service products. New products intended for the K-12 market include Aristotle(TM) application selector software, the Apple II Workstation Card and the AppleShare IIGS Workstation Software for networking Apple IIe and Apple IIGS computers. New and enhanced products for all AppleTalk systems include InterPoll(TM) Network Administrator's Utility, a software tool for managing AppleTalk internetworks--groups of AppleTalk networks; AppleShare(TM) File Server version 2.0, which provides enhanced Apple IIe and Apple IIGS support; and the AppleShare Print Server, formerly LaserShare(TM) print spooler. "The introduction of these new products for the AppleTalk Network System demonstrates our continued commitment to the education community with high-quality products that meet educators' needs," said Delbert Yocam, Apple chief operating officer. "The Apple II family of products has enjoyed tremendous success in the K-12 marketplace for many years. Now Apple is taking the next step and bringing these products into Apple's mainstream network system, providing connectivity that will further enrich the learning process." K-12 Market Needs for Networking School administrators and educators have a range of networking needs. They want to share printers as well as share information between labs, classrooms and administrative offices. In addition, administrators need to have access to remote mainframe computers as well as be able to integrate MS-DOS and Apple computers throughout the school. The AppleTalk Network System products are designed to meet these needs by providing connectivity in all of these areas. Because a school's existing Apple IIe, Apple IIGS and MS-DOS computers can be connected over the AppleTalk Network System, the school can protect its investment in its existing computing equipment. AppleShare File Server version 2.0 In addition to Macintosh and MS-DOS computers, AppleShare File Server now supports enhanced Apple IIe and Apple IIGS computers. AppleShare-aware ProDOS (R) applications--network versions for the AppleTalk network--can be stored and launched from the AppleShare File Server, reducing the amount of floppy-disk handling for easier management in computer labs and classrooms. Other new features include on-line server administration, which allows server administration activity such as creating new user names or groups, while the file server remains available to users on the network. A folder lock feature insures that only the owner of a folder can move, rename or delete the folder. The AppleShare File Server also provides CD-ROM support, letting AppleShare users share information on AppleCD SC drives attached to a file server. Aristotle Specifically designed for schools, Aristotle gives students, teachers and others using individual enhanced Apple IIe and Apple IIGS workstations fast and easy access to ProDOS applications stored on an AppleShare File Server. Aristotle application selector, an AppleShare-aware application, resides on a server and can be shared by all enhanced Apple IIe and Apple IIGS workstation users. Aristotle features a menu management program that lets teachers and network administrators specify which applications each study group can access. Network administrators and teachers can individualize student menus and easily modify available selections at any time. Aristotle's menu display lets users access AppleShare-aware ProDOS software without searching through stacks of disks or typing ProDOS commands. Apple II Workstation Card and AppleShare IIGS Workstation Software The Apple II Workstation Card for the enhanced Apple IIe computer and the AppleShare IIGS Workstation Software for the Apple IIGS computer let users connect to an AppleTalk network via LocalTalk(TM) cabling for shared access to an AppleShare file server as well as networked LaserWriter(R) and ImageWriter(R) printers. Users have access to all the features of the AppleShare File Server including AppleShare-aware ProDOS applications as well as file and print service capabilities. One Apple IIGS Workstation Software package is required for each file server, and one Apple II Workstation Card is required for each enhanced Apple IIe computer. AppleShare Print Server AppleShare Print Server, an enhanced version of LaserShare, offers concurrent support of up to five printers. A single server can handle combinations of networked LaserWriter, ImageWriter II and ImageWriter LQ printers. AppleShare Print Server runs concurrently with AppleShare File Server on the same Macintosh server, letting users continue working instead of waiting for documents to print. The AppleShare Print Server provides centralized print-queue management, letting network administrators print high-priority documents immediately, remove documents from the queue or suspend printing. The AppleShare Print Server can be accessed from any enhanced Apple IIe, Apple IIGS, Macintosh or MS-DOS workstation on the network. InterPoll Network Administrator's Utility The InterPoll Network Administrator's Utility contains tools an AppleTalk network administrator can use to implement a network support program. InterPoll includes an administrator's guide with suggestions for network planning and configuration as well as tips for network maintenance and troubleshooting; a set of network mapping tools and the AppleTalk Responder, a Macintosh resource that lets InterPoll obtain information about Macintosh workstations. The InterPoll application lets network administrators generate lists of active network devices to monitor the internetwork and to locate network cabling breaks. InterPoll also reports Macintosh system software version numbers and can be used to test the integrity of the network path to any AppleTalk device. Price and Availability AppleShare File Server version 2.0, AppleShare Print Server, InterPoll Network Administrator's Utility, Aristotle, Apple II Workstation Card and Apple IIGS Workstation Software will be available this summer through certified Apple dealers and direct from Apple. Suggested retail prices of the products are: AppleShare File Server, $799; AppleShare Print Server, $299; Aristotle, $199; Apple II Workstation Card, $249; Apple IIGS Workstation Software, $99; and InterPoll Network Administrator's Utility, $129. All products except for the Apple II Workstation Card and InterPoll are server-based, requiring one copy for each AppleShare File Server. InterPoll requires one application per network administrator. Certain discounts may apply to Apple education customers. Apple, the Apple logo, AppleShare, AppleTalk, Apple IIGS, ImageWriter, LaserWriter, ImageWriter, Macintosh, ProDOS, and IIGS are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. AppleCD SC, Aristotle, InterPoll, LaserShare and LocalTalk are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. AppleCD SC The AppleCD SC is Apple's first CD-ROM drive and optical media product. This product lets Macintosh and Apple II users retrieve information from digitally recorded CD-ROM discs. >From one 4.72" (12 cm.) CD-ROM disc, users have access to up to 550 MB of text, graphics, images and audio -- the equivalent of 700 floppy disks or 270,000 pages of typewritten text! Plus, this new drive has built-in audio CD capabilites. The AppleCD SC is a stand alone external drive styled much like Apple's SCSI hard disks. It has a front-loading slot that enables the user to stack the drive on or under the CPU. The AppleCD SC features include: -- Support for Macintosh and Apple II operating systems. Apple II users must first install the new SCSI card, Revision C. -- Support for the High Sierra operating system via a software upgrade available this summer. -- 64 K RAM buffer for improved performance with the Apple II CPU. -- Universal power supply ensuring compatibility with worldwide electric standards. -- CD Caddy that encloses the disc in a protective case. -- Headphone jack which provides convenient and private access to audio information. -- RCA jacks -- two audio connectors for an external amplifier and speakers which enables the drive to produce stereophonic sound. The AppleCD SC and the AppleCD SC Caddy will ship in May 1988. The AppleCD SC Caddies are also available in boxes of five. Some of the third-party CD-ROM titles for Macintosh and Apple II computers currently available are: -- Kwikee INHOUSE PAL by Multi-Ad Services Inc. -- a library of encapsulated PostScript art. For information call 309-692-1530. -- Medline Data Base by Aries Systems Inc. -- a collection of abstracts from the National Library of Medicine which includes the contents of three years of back issues of medical journals. For more information call 617-689-9334. -- RealScan Real Estate Market Information System by LaserScan Systems, Inc.detailed public information on every piece of real estate in Broward County, Florida. For more information on other similar systems, call 305-595-3640. -- Available this fall for the Apple IIGS and the Macintosh is the Visual Dictionary by Facts on File, Inc. It contains audio and graphic representations of dictionary entries and pronounces words in both French and English. AppleCD SC (M2700) AppleCD SC Caddy (M2705) Optical Storage with CD-ROM Drive (1 of 2) Seattle, Washington. March 1, 1988. Apple Computer, Inc. today embraced optical storage technology by announcing AppleCD SC(TM), a compact disk, read-only memory (CD-ROM) drive to be with individual Macintosh(R) and Apple(R) II computers or shared by users connected to the AppleShare File Server. Apple announced the drive today at the opening of the Microsoft CD-ROM Conference, a gathering of existing and potential publishers of CD-ROM discs and others interested in the emerging CD-ROM industry. In addition to being one of the first personal computer manufacturers to make a CD-ROM drive available through retail stores, Apple also is launching extensive efforts aimed at the third party development community to stimulate a wide array of CD-ROM discs. CD-ROMs can store the resources of a small library--providing users access to vast quantities of pre-recorded information--including text, digitized images and sounds such as voice and music. A single 12-centimeter disk holds as much as 700 (800 kilobyte) Macintosh floppy diskettes--well over 550 megabytes, or about 270,000 pages of typewritten text. To date, publishers have used the extraordinary capacity of CD-ROMs primarily for text and number-oriented reference materials such as encyclopedias, catalogs and specialized databases of medical, legal and financial information. These products have been available largely through value-added resellers that serve specific vertical markets. By making a CD-ROM drive readily available through retail and other sales channels, and by providing extensive support for developers, Apple expects to stimulate development of a much wider variety of CD-ROM products that take advantage of the graphics and sound capabilities of its Macintosh and Apple IIGS(R) computers and can be used as well with the Apple II. "CD-ROM is a logical extension of Apple's unique computing platform," said Jean-Louis Gassee, senior vice president of research and development. "One by one we have added capabilities that help people deal meaningfully with information: copy-and-paste simplicity, graphics, sound, processing power, systems integration and finally, in HyperCard(TM), a radically different way of organizing and navigating through information. CD-ROM complements all of Apple's other strengths by providing a cost-effective and convenient delivery system for vast amounts and varieties of information. It's reasonable to expect that publishers will use the tools we've provided to build a completely new genre of information retrieval products. "The arrival of an Apple CD-ROM drive is significant in other respects, too," Gassee continued. "An installed base the size of Apple's gives publishers the pool of potential customers they've been waiting for, while its retail, education and corporate sales channels provide an efficient way to get products to those customers." CD-ROM applications in many markets "We already are seeing exciting examples of the rich learning environments that can be created with CD-ROM databases that incorporate text, images and sound," Gassee said, referring to several projects underway at major U.S. universities that bring together instructional curricula with research materials. For example, Boston University and Harvard University are collaborating on the "Perseus Project," which is integrating more than 100 megabytes of text with 10,000 images that pertain to the history, political science, languages, art and philosophy of ancient and classical Greece. University of Southern California's "Project Jefferson," which combines online retrieval, hypermedia and curriculum development within an integrated software package based on the U.S. Constitution, and Brown University's "Intermedia" project, a multiuser workstation environment for scholars and researchers, are two other examples of sophisticated information retrieval systems that utilize CD-ROMs. Educators of younger students also are using encyclopedia and other reference works on CD-ROM as well as developing multimedia databases. Currently available discs, for the AppleCD SC, outside of education, are designed for specific professions. These include "Kwikee INHOUSE," a graphics service for advertising layouts (Multi-Ad Services, Peoria, IL); a medical database, "MEDLINE(TM) Knowledge Finder(TM)," (Aries Systems Corporation, North Andover, MA); "Real-Scan(TM)" real estate management system (LaserScan Systems, Miami, FL); and "Books in Print Plus" (Bowker Electronic Publishing, New York), which is used in libraries as well as bookstores. The legal and healthcare markets are especially well-suited for CD-ROMs. Their reference materials often are published without cumulative indices, which makes manual data searches very cumbersome. Relational databases published on CD-ROM discs would provide many of the benefits of on-line information services, such as enabling users to search by key words, without costly communications charges. Apple also expects corporations to become significant users of CD-ROMs for in-house publishing of manuals, catalogs and corporate databases; to distribute reference materials (such as parts lists in the automotive industry) and "boilerplate" documents (in insurance, for example); and courseware and tutorials in industrial training applications. Federal, state and local governments also could use CD-ROMs for storing and copying forms on demand, for easy access to government policies and regulations, to store training manuals and to distribute materials that are frequently quoted or incorporated into documents, such as military parts specifications, building codes, health and safety ordinances, etc. CD-ROM titles for consumers are likely to serve home educational needs (encyclopedias, atlases and other reference books), sound studios and musicians (sound and special effects libraries for creating synthesized music, for example) or work at home (word processing software and writers reference tools, for example). Optical Storage with CD-ROM Drive (2 of 2) Apple facilitating CD-ROM publishing To expedite development of CD-ROM titles in all of these markets, Apple has designed its drive to be compatible with the International Standards Organization's standard file format commonly known as "High Sierra." While Macintosh and Apple II file support will be available when drives are first shipped to customers, ISO/High Sierra support will become available in early summer. Customers who purchase drives before this time will receive a software upgrade free of charge. In addition, Apple is providing extensive support to potential publishers. Some 500 developers are scheduled to attend an Apple CD-ROM Development Conference that is being held here on March 4 in conjunction with the Microsoft conference. Speakers representing Apple and current CD-ROM publishers will discuss topics such as hardware and software tools, data preparation and designing the human interface. Apple also plans to support developers by offering a starter kit that will give them a cost-effective way of quickly developing prototye CD-ROM discs. Specific elements of the starter kit --to hardware, software and coupons for converting hard disk data to a CD-ROM disc--will be announced to developers before the AppleCD SC ships in mid-May. At the conference and as an on-going service to interested developers, Apple will demonstrate how its HyperCard software can be used as part of Macintosh CD-ROM disc. HyperCard lets users easily navigate through large quantities of data by association and context, rather than simply by hierarchical indexes. HyperCard provides developers with alternative to programming with the Macintosh interface. And just as the Macintosh development environment provides a consistent graphic interface with icons and windows, HyperCard provides consistent elements such as cards, buttons and stacks that can be used across applications. Users do not have to learn new command schemes with each new disk they acquire. HyperCard also is an open-ended development environment that can be customized for particular projects. For example, teams on both the Perseus and Jefferson projects have used the extension capabilities of HyperCard, adding functions which are important for searching very large relational databases. Apple's technical staff will work closely with publishers in augmenting HyperCard functions. AppleCD SC is fast and versatile The AppleCD SC drive, which will be available in the United States in the beginning of May for a suggested retail price of $1,199 (U.S.), features a 64-Kilobyte (K) memory buffer and Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) that enable it to transfer data more quickly, and an audio chip set and "desk accessory" software that let it play audio CD tracks on CD-ROM as well as commercial audio compact discs. The drive includes a headphone jack, two RCA audio jacks for external speakers and amplifiers and a universal power supply that makes it compatible with electrical standards around the world. By early fall, Apple will ship the AppleCD SC in six language versions-- Kanji (Japan), British, French Canadian, German, French, Dutch, Swedish and Italian. Discs are loaded in the AppleCD SC drive through a slot on the front of the drive. Prior to loading, discs are placed in an Apple CD Caddy--a sturdy plastic case that protects the disc and offers convenient storage for the user. The CD caddy will be available in five pack bundles. Front access allows the drive to be stored above or below the computer without taking up additional desk space. The AppleCD SC has the same "footprint" as Apple's other SCSI storage products, which lets it be easily stacked with those devices. The AppleCD SC plugs directly into the SCSI port of Macintosh Plus, SE and II computers. With Apple IIe and IIGS, an upgraded version of the Apple SCSI Card (Rev. C), is available today for a suggested retail price of $299 is required. The drive can be daisy-chained to as many as six other SCSI peripherals. In addition, both Macintosh and Apple II users can share information and lower the cost of the AppleCD SC per user by connecting to an AppleShare File Server (version 2.0). Plans to for A/UX, Apple's implementation of the UNIX operating system for the Macintosh II, to support the AppleCD SC also are underway. The drive comes with an accessory kit that contains an Apple CD Caddy, software drivers, Apple CD Remote Desk Accessory software--which controls functions needed to play audio CDs; and an owner's manual. Apple, the Apple logo, AppleShare, Apple IIGS and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. AppleCD SC and HyperCard are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Enhanced Apple II SCSI Card The Apple II SCSI Card, Revision C, is an enhanced version of the Apple II SCSI card. The enhancements of the card will be important to Apple II customers who purchase Apple's new CD-ROM drive since it is required when using a CD-ROM with an Apple II computer. The Apple II SCSI Card, Revision C, was developed to: -- Provide better performance with new and more sophisticated Apple II software. -- Increase the ability to handle different classes of SCSI peripheral devices. Apple II SCSI (A2B2087) * All I can say: it's about time! Al Willis INET : awillis@pro-angmar.cts.com UUCP : [ihnp sdcsvax nosc]!crash!pnet01!pro-sol!pro-angmar!awillis Boston Computer Society Apple Connection: (617) 275-9422: [AL]