Delivering on its pledge to provide customers with the best value in the home computing market, Apple Computer Inc. announces two new aggressively priced members of the Macintosh Performa product family and cuts pricing to its existing Performa tower computers in the U.S. The changes put the Performa product line as much as 30 percent below the prices of comparably equipped computers from other major brands.

"Today's product introductions and new pricing further illustrate our commitment to be the home computing industry's value leader," said H.L. Cheung, senior vice president and general manager of the Worldwide Macintosh Performa Division. "Even at our old prices, we felt the Mac Performa line was a great value. Now, with a complete portfolio of products from entry-level systems to high-end, customized solutions at aggressive price points, we're offering some of the best values available in personal computing. And we're backing this up with an aggressive, integrated marketing campaign during the holidays called Bring Learning Home."

At 160 MHz, the new Performa 6360 system is a powerful, entry-level desktop computer priced at $1,499--the price most companies charge for 120 or 133 MHz Wintel computers (systems that use the MS-DOS-based Windows Operating System and CISC-based chips from Intel). The new customized, high-performance Performa 6400/200 Video Editing Edition, priced at $2,699, is the same price as most companies charge for just a standard 200 MHz Pentium system.

The Performa product line pricing actions come as a result of Apple's commitment to providing a complete portfolio of competitively priced entry-level to high-end products, while meeting customer buying cycles. The price for the speedy 200 MHz Performa 6400 has dropped from $2,799 to $2,199. The 180 MHz Performa 6400 was reduced from $2,399 to $1,899.

Apple is also getting aggressive on its flagship Power Macintosh products line. In the U.S. market from October 19 through November 1, Apple will be putting in place substantial incentives in the form of a "cash back" program to its channel partners for sales of most Power Macintosh and older Performa models.

New Generation of Performas Offer Same Processing Power, Architecture of Power Macintosh Line Wrapped With Customized Features

The Performa line of personal computers was streamlined in August to eliminate customer confusion and establish the new generation of Macintosh Performa computers under the direction of Cheung. The new generation of Performas have the same processing power and architecture found in Apple's Power Macintosh line wrapped with customized features to meet the increasingly sophisticated needs of individual users including families, small office and home office workers, college-bound youth, and K-12 institutions. Performa products--hardware and software--are designed to grow with the user, providing the right combination of comfort, capability and challenge for individuals who want to create, communicate, and learn.

Macintosh Performa 6400 Video Editing Edition: Now Anyone Can Be a Video Producer

To help small office workers and home video enthusiasts produce VHS-quality videos, the new Performa 6400 Video Editing Edition offers an integrated hardware and software solution that includes everything the customer needs to easily create and edit digital video movies.

At the heart of this custom solution is Avid Cinema, an easy-to-use, affordable editing system jointly developed by Apple and Avid Technology, Inc. (an industry leader in digital video editing systems). Avid Cinema guides users through the entire video process, from planning shots to final output, by using a combination of storyboard templates and a tab-driven interface. More than 24 sophisticated visual effects--including wipes, peels, fades, and dissolves--are readily available.

Powering the video production system is a 200 MHz Macintosh Performa 6400 complete with 32 MB of RAM and a 2.4 GB hard drive. The system also comes with Apple's Video System, 1 MB of Video RAM, 256 KB of Level 2 Cache (a high-performance module that increases performance about 30 percent), an 8X-speed CD-ROM drive, and a 28.8 KB data/fax/voice modem standard.

"With the new Performa Video Editing Edition, we're looking to do for multimedia in the 1990s what Apple did for graphics in the 1980s--make it easy for normal people to create fantastic output," says Cheung. "Now small companies can produce videos and multimedia presentations that make them bigger than they acutally are, and home users can produce movies that they can be proud to share with their families and friends. We are giving customers what they want and need to be effective."

Macintosh Performa 6360: Affordable Power for Family/First-Time Users For the first-time buyer or family user, the new Macintosh Performa 6360 is a powerful, affordable solution. The Performa 6360 uses a 603e 160 MHz processor, comes with 16 MB of RAM, provides a 1.2 GB hard drive, and includes an 8X-speed CD-ROM drive. Monitor is not included.

"No other name brand computer provides the power of the Performa 6360 for such an affordable price," said Mike Muench, senior director of Apple Americas Consumer/SoHo Markets. "But we add even more value by providing high-quality, brand-recognizable software, customized Internet solutions, and an innovative personal guided tour to get the customer up and running immediately."

Included with all Performa systems (including the new 6360 and the 6400/200 Video Editing Edition) are more than two dozen software applications and 15 CD-ROM discs. The software was carefully selected to provide a wide range of useful, high-quality, leading-edge programs including ClarisWorks 4.0, the leading integrated program for the Macintosh; Adobe Photo Deluxe, an easy-to-use program for manipulating color photographs and creating greeting cards and calendars; Quicken SE, for home finance; and The American Heritage Dictionary. A complete multimedia reference library is also provided and includes an encyclopedia, dictionaries, an atlas, and a health reference guide.

The Macintosh Performa Brings Learning Home for the Holidays

As the leader in providing technology to the classroom, Apple is applying this expertise to the home. Apple's Bring Learning Home campaign is designed to help individuals learn about the benefits of using technology to enhance life-long learning at any age. The aggressive, integrated marketing campaign consists of television commercials, print advertisements, radio spots, retail-level programs, and a new Apple infomercial that focuses on using technology to bridge the gap between school and the home. From TV spots that depict parents as the teacher, to Apple's School Rewards Program which award schools with points redeemable for free Performa hardware and software products, the Bring Learning Home campaign is designed to create awareness, communicate Performa advantages, and describe programs and consumer rebates available to buyers during the holiday time frame.\

• Performa 6360, 160Mhz, 16/1.2GB, 28.8 modem, 8X CD: U.S.$1,499
• Performa 6400, 180Mhz, 16/1.6GB, 28.8 modem, 8X CD: U.S.$1,899
• Performa 6400, 200Mhz, 16/2.4GB, 28.8 modem, 8X CD, L2 cache: U.S.$2,199
• Performa 6400 Video Editing Edition, 200 Mhz, 32/2.4GB, 28.8 modem, 8X CD, L2 cache, Apple Video System: U.S.$2,699

 

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