Power to the Public -- Last week, documents filed by Power Computing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that Power Computing plans to become a publicly held company with an initial offering of about three million shares of stock. The documents also reveal that Power Computing plans to make Intel-based computers in addition to its extensive line of Mac-compatible machines.
In typical fashion, mainstream media interpreted the SEC filing to mean Power Computing was "switching" to Intel, ignoring the documents' emphasis on Power Computing's Macintosh business. The SEC filings also reveal the complete text of its previously confidential Mac OS licensing and certification deal with Apple, and also that Power has obtained a more limited Mac OS license from IBM, presumably in case negotiations with Apple break down. Power's plans to make Intel machines aren't too surprising - plenty of Mac shops use NT servers but do their work on Macs - and Power hopes to sell to both sides of that demand. The entire text of the filing (835K) can be downloaded from the SEC. [GD]
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