Apple Has Eye on $2,000 PC for Office Use

Apple Computer Inc. will work toward cultivating a low-end, less pricey Macintosh personal computer for the office environment, the company’s chief executive officer told a user conference today.

John Sculley said managers and office workers can use the versatile Macintosh for functions as diverse as designing graphics or linking all company employees on an electronic mail network.

“We went from a machine that was a curiosity and excited the imagination to a machine with full functionality,” Sculley told a conference aimed specifically at business users of Macintosh, first introduced by the Cupertino, Calif., company in 1984.

Apple’s top manager said creating inexpensive and smaller Macintosh models that can perform the same office tasks as the most powerful version now available will be a top priority for the $4-billion company in the 1990s.

Sculley speculated that the inexpensive machines of the ‘90s, as powerful as today’s high-end models, will be priced between $1,500 and $2,000. Versions of the powerful Macintosh IIx currently cost more than $7,500 each.