New Mac LC Based on PowerPC 603 -- Today Apple made a series of announcements re-affirming its commitment to the education market, centering around the introduction of the Power Macintosh 5200/75 LC, the first Macintosh based on the PowerPC 603 processor. The Power Mac 5200/75 LC is a new all-in-one design, featuring a tilt-and-swivel base, a 15-inch multisync monitor, and a standard configuration of 8 MB of RAM, a 500 MB hard disk, and a double-speed CD-ROM drive. An AV model is available as well, featuring standard video in/out AV capabilities and a TV tuner. The 5200/75 LC is priced at $1,699, making it the most affordable Power Mac in the education market, with the AV version priced at $2,099. Apple said in its announcements that it expects the unit to become the leading Mac sold to the education market. No mention was made when (or if) these models would be introduced to the consumer channel, although I expect that Performa versions of these machines can't be far off.

Apple also introduced the Macintosh LC 630 DOS Compatible - a standard LC 630 with an integrated 66 MHz 486 DX2 processor to run DOS and Windows software - and the Macintosh LC 580, an all-in-one unit built around a 33 MHz 68LC040 processor. [GD]