Technology : Apple Slashes Price of Several Mac Computers
Apple Computer Inc., aiming for a greater share of the personal computer market, Monday slashed prices of its mid-range and high-end Macintosh computers by up to 31%.
The company also introduced low-priced, laser-quality printers.
The Cupertino-based computer maker said prices of its Macintosh IIfx, IIci and SE/30 computers would be reduced immediately.
It said the price cuts were “part of Apple’s aggressive new market share strategy” in concert with its introduction of two laser quality printers.
David Wu, analyst at S. G. Warburg & Co., said Apple cut its prices on the Macintosh models ahead of the announcement of new versions of the computers, which he said is expected in the next 90 days.
“It’s a fairly standard move for a company that brings out products fairly regularly these days,” Wu said.
Apple’s stock dropped after the price cuts were announced, falling $2 a share to $63 in over-the-counter trading.
“Some people viewed it as Apple being too aggressive and that it might hurt” profits, said Benny Lorenzo at Dillon Read & Co. “Any time you cut prices it’s never a positive thing right away.”
Apple cut the price of the Macintosh IIfx, the company’s most powerful computer, by 18%, to $7,369 from $8,969. One version of the machine was cut 21%, to $8,669 from $10,969.
It said the Macintosh IIci was reduced 12%, to $5,269 from $5,969, and the Macintosh SE30 to $3,369 from $4,369. The SE30 equipped with an 80-megabyte hard drive was cut by 31%, to $3,869 from $5,569.
In a related move, Apple said it was cutting prices of several of its higher-priced laserwriter printers by up to 21%.
Prices for the Personal LaserWriter NT were slashed 21%, to $2,599 from $3,299, while the LaserWriter IINT and IINTX were cut 11% and 16% to, $3,999 and $4,999, respectively.
Apple also unveiled two low-cost, laser-quality printers--the Apple StyleWriter and the Apple Personal LaserWriter LS. Priced at $599 and $1,299, respectively, the printers effectively cut the entry-level price of Apple’s laser-quality printing by 70%, the firm said.
