Apple Releases Mac OS X Public Beta and Unveils New iBook Line
Over 250 Exhibitors Showcasing Solutions and Services for the Macintosh at
Apple Expo
APPLE EXPO PARIS-September 13, 2000-During today’s kickoff keynote at Apple
Expo Paris, where over 250 exhibitors are showcasing solutions and services
for the Macintosh platform, Apple released Mac OS X Public Beta and
introduced a new iBook line in all new colors. Apple also announced that
it will offer the Radeon graphics accelerator card as a build-to-order
option on The Apple Store (www.apple.com) for all Power Mac G4 and Power
Mac G4 Cube systems.
Immediately available in English, French and German through The Apple Store
for $29.95, Mac OS X features state-of-the-art technology throughout,
including advanced Internet and graphics technologies, a new user interface
named “Aqua,” and an open-source UNIX-based foundation named Darwin.
Mac OS X features true memory protection, pre-emptive multi-tasking, and
symmetric multiprocessing when running on the new dual-processor Power Mac
G4 line. Mac OS X includes Apple’s new Quartz 2D graphics engine (based on
the Internet-standard Portable Document Format) for stunning graphics and
broad font support; OpenGL for spectacular 3D graphics and gaming, and
QuickTime for streaming audio and video. In addition, Mac OS X features
Apple’s new user interface named “Aqua,” which combines superior
ease-of-use with amazing new functionality such as the “Dock,” a
breakthrough for organizing applications, documents and miniaturized
windows. Mac OS X Public Beta includes many applications, including Apple’s
new Mail client (IMAP and POP compatible) and new versions of the QuickTime
player and Sherlock Internet searching tool, as well as a beta version of
Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, the most popular browser for the Mac.
Apple today also unveiled a new iBook line featuring FireWire ports and
iMovie 2, the world’s most popular and easy-to-use digital video editing
software. Apple’s new iBook now comes in Indigo and the new iBook Special
Edition, which includes a DVD-ROM drive for watching DVD movies on the go,
comes in Graphite. Both iBook and iBook Special Edition also come in the
season’s hottest new color, Key Lime, available exclusively through The
Apple Store.
The new iBook models include: a 366 MHz or 466 MHz PowerPC G3 processor; a
10GB IDE hard drive, configurable to 20GB; a 400 Mbps FireWire port for
connecting high-speed peripherals such as digital camcorders and hard disk
drives; a CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive; an AV port providing audio and
composite video output; and the blazing ATI RAGE Mobility 128 controller
with 8MB of SDRAM for great games and graphics.
Providing the most advanced 3D graphics processing available for the
Macintosh, the Radeon graphics card is available immediately for order
through The Apple Store for all Power Mac G4 and Power Mac G4 Cube models
for an additional $100. The addition of the Radeon graphics card means the
G4 is available in more than 90,000 build-to-order configurations and the
G4 Cube is available in over 2,000 configurations through The Apple Store.
Apple Expo takes place September 13 through September 17 in Paris, France
at Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles.
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple
II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh.
Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to
students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world
through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.
