Apple Unveils Ambitious Plans at MacWorld

Strategic Insights -

Despite the hype surrounding Windows 95, Apple's MacWorld conference in Boston saw an impressive turnout of 55,000-60,000 attendees, a 10-15% increase from the previous year. Apple's senior vice-president, Dave Nagel, introduced a range of new products, including Power Macs, QuickDraw 3D graphics software, and the Internet Connection Kit, which will provide easy access to the internet for Mac users. Nagel also emphasized Apple's commitment to developing for the burgeoning internet market, predicting that publishing to the web will become a natural extension of their current leadership in publishing.

Key Takeaways:

  • Apple's MacWorld conference saw a 10-15% increase in attendance, with 55,000-60,000 attendees.
  • Dave Nagel introduced a range of new products, including Power Macs, QuickDraw 3D graphics software, and the Internet Connection Kit.
  • The Internet Connection Kit allows Mac users to connect to the internet with the "click of a button" and will sell for $59 in the US.
  • Apple predicts that publishing to the web will become a natural extension of their current leadership in publishing.
  • Nagel emphasized Apple's commitment to developing for the internet market, citing their current market share and predicted future growth.
  • The new Power Macintosh computers on show at Mac World use the same revised Power Mac architecture as the recently released 9500.
  • The Power Macs outperform Windows computers based on equivalent clock-speed Pentium processors by as much as 44%, according to a survey conducted by Competitive Assessment Systems.
  • The new QuickDraw 3D graphics software will be included with the 7500 and 8500s and made available to other Apple Macintosh users on online services and the World Wide Web.
  • Apple's Copland operating system, which is expected to be released mid-1996, places emphasis on drag-and-drop filing operations, enhanced content-ranked search tools, and multiple-user environments.
  • Guy Kawasaki predicted that in 12 months' time, "Internet would be synonymous with Macintosh" and that Apple will provide access to the "whole universe of the Internet".

Statistics:

  • 55,000-60,000 attendees at Apple's MacWorld conference, a 10-15% increase from the previous year.
  • 900 native PowerPC applications available on the Macintosh platform.
  • 450 PCI card manufacturers have announced support for the new Mac OS system.
  • 20 millionth Macintosh sold, with 100 million pieces of software available.
  • Apple's share of client and server stations on the internet is twice as high as their general market share.
  • Apple is the No. 2 Internet server vendor, with a predicted rise to No. 1 in the near future.
  • 44% performance improvement of Power Macs over Windows computers based on equivalent clock-speed Pentium processors.

Sources:

  • Apple Computer
  • Dave Nagel, Apple senior vice-president (Worldwide Research and Development)
  • Guy Kawasaki, Apple fellow and evangelist
  • Competitive Assessment Systems
  • MacWorld conference attendees and speakers.