Apple Unveils New G3 PCs and Gives Some ‘Flavor’ to Its Popular iMacs
Feeding on the success of its fast-selling iMac, Apple Computer Inc. on Tuesday unveiled a new series of desktop models targeted at publishing professionals and higher education.
Cementing Apple’s return to personal computers that differ dramatically from mainstream PCs, the new G3 machines follow the iMac’s curvy, translucent design--unlike any other “tower” PC on the market today. The white and blue boxes feature built-in handles and a one-latch door to allow easy installation of components--wish list items for many sophisticated users.
The new computers, which range in price from $1,599 to $2,999 (plus monitor), run on IBM and Motorola microprocessors as fast as 400 megahertz, and use memory and 3-D graphics hardware that could give the Macintosh a slight performance edge over competing PCs.
“Apple’s taken back the position of being the innovator in the PC space,” said James Staten, a PC analyst for Dataquest in San Jose. “And all of the innovations they’ve added are functional innovations.”
Speaking at the Macworld Expo trade show, Apple Interim Chief Executive Steve Jobs upstaged his new G3 computers by announcing a simple design change to the iMac: Five new “flavors”--blueberry, grape, tangerine, lime and strawberry--replace the original teal hue.
“We think one of the most important questions now when you buy a computer is going to be ‘What’s your favorite color?’ ” he said.
The radical design approach--now applied to all Apple desktop computers as well as a new line of monitors--reflects the belief that consumers care less about “bits and bytes” than they do about the experience of computing, Jon Rubinstein, Apple senior vice president for hardware engineering, said in an interview. “It should be a pleasure to use the machine and to look at the machine.”
Apple is betting that consumers will pay a premium for that. With a slightly upgraded processor and storage drive, the iMac will now sell for $1,199--$100 less than its earlier price--but still well above competing PCs.
So far, the bet is paying off. Jobs said that 800,000 iMacs have been sold since their introduction in August, about what analysts have estimated. The sales surge helped boost Apple to a fifth consecutive quarterly profit, which will be formally announced Jan. 13.
The new G3 computers, also a premium buy, improve on their predecessors that have experienced sluggish sales of late.
“We’ve had a new G3 for some time and we’re quite impressed with it,” said Lawrence Zulch, president of Dantz Development, a longtime Macintosh software developer based in Orinda, Calif. “The price is aggressive for that much computing power.”
According to Apple, 32% of iMac buyers in December were new PC users, a figure that Roger Kay of International Data Corp. in Framingham, Mass., called impressive if true--especially if it can be sustained and used to expand Apple’s user base.
Jobs also announced that Apple will license a graphics software technology, known as Open GL, from Mountain View, Calif.-based Silicon Graphics Inc. That move could ultimately make it easier for game developers--a key segment for fueling market growth--to stay in the Macintosh fold because they would be able to develop products simultaneously for the PC and Macintosh.
A number of game companies announced Mac versions of their latest products at the show, including the popular “Quake” and “Tomb Raider III” titles. Microsoft Corp. also released a new Mac version of its Internet Explorer Web browser.
Shares in Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple rose $2.06 to close at $43.31 on Nasdaq, and touched a 52-week high of $43.94 in earlier trading.
