Two data sheets on Apple's web site have caused a 
great deal of discussion in the Mac community. The 
Performa 5400 and 5420 feature a 120MHz 603e 
processor, 16MB of RAM, a 1.6GB hard drive, a PCI 
slot, a 28.8k modem, and a 15" multi-scan display 
capable of 16-bit color up to 800x600 and 8-bit 
color up to 1024x768. Most notable, however, is the 
color of the 5420: charcoal! 
 
As discovered by MacWEEK (07/15/96), however, these machines shipped in Japan in mid May. An Apple spokeswoman quoted by MacWEEK indicated that the company has no plans to introduce either machine here in North America.

The facts, however, don’t add up. Why would Apple place datasheets of these Macs on its American server, when they are only being offered in Japan? And wouldn’t those datasheets be in Kanji? 

Finally, a tech support tale from Apple Canada: A gentleman ran into some serious problems with his Performa 5300, and needed a replacement ASAP. A few calls to Apple, and the gentleman had a new Mac on his desk—which was all black.  
Fascinating.

by Chris McVeigh

  
The sights and sounds of Atlanta during this month’s Summer 
Olympics will be delivered by Apple. Atlanta '96 Street Scene 
(http://live.apple.com) is an online webcast devoted to 
covering Atlanta during the Olympics. This participatory 
event kicks off on July 19 and runs daily throughout the Games. 

Visitors to the Apple site will sample the culture, personality and history of Atlanta. In addition to changing daily features, the site is expected to include daily top 10 lists, QuickTime images, electronic postcards, a spotlight on the technology behind the webcast, chat rooms, spy cams and a PowerBook giveaway.

Travelocity, a one-stop travel website (www.travelocity.com), will link to the Apple site so website visitors can find out what's happening in and around Atlanta with events listings, night life, shopping and sightseeing information.     
by Elizabeth Martin

  
The Apple Macintosh led the PC industry in repurchase 
loyalty in 1995, just as it did in 1994, according to Computer 
Intelligence InfoCorp.  

The Macintosh’s repurchase rate was 87 percent. Following 
Apple, in order, were Dell, Hewlett Packard, Acer, Gateway 2000, 
IBM, Compaq,  AST Research, Packard Bell and NEC.  

The findings were released as part of the 1996 Consumer Technology Index, the largest and most comprehensive survey of personal computer usage in the United States. The repurchase rates measure what percentage of each brand's users who purchased a PC in 1995 purchased the same brand of PC they had previously owned.  

According to the CTI results, about seven in eight of Apple Macintosh users who purchased a PC in 1995 purchased another Macintosh.  

David Tremblay, CII's senior industry analyst for PCs, said brand loyalty is the key to Apple’s future.

“Our research shows that Apple has done very poorly in enticing other brands' users to cross over to Macintosh.  Its  business relies on sales to new users and on repurchases by existing Macintosh users.” 

“Sales to existing Macintosh users provide a revenue base to support the company while Apple develops new products in new sectors of the industry that can provide for its future growth,” he said.  

Computer Intelligence InfoCorp., is the leading source of fact-based information for the computer and  communications industries.  

The company's home page is http://www.ci.zd.com. 

by Elizabeth Martin

  
Version 7.5.3 of the Mac OS has been released, rolling into one 
release the System 7.5 Update 2.0 and System 7.5.3 Revision 2. 

The package, distributed by Claris Corp., sells for $99 US.

System 7.5 Version 7.5.3  includes a universal system folder 
that can boot systems as far back as the Mac Plus, as well as the 
Apple Internet Connection Kit.  The new version also delivers improved stability, eliminating some causes of Type 11 errors on PowerPC based Macintosh systems. 

The retail package comes with Version 8.3.4 of the LaserWriter driver as well as CD-Setup 5.1.7, which includes support for six- and eight-speed CD-ROM drives. Bundled with the system  software is Apple's Internet Connection Kit, which comes with tools for email, Usenet news, Telnet terminal emulation, FTP file transfers and the Web.

The package is available on floppy disks or a CD-ROM which  includes Version 1.0.4 of OpenDoc, Apple's software component architecture.  System 7.5 Version 7.5.3 sells for $99 US.  Upgrades are $49.The new version shipped in the US on July 1, 1996 and is expected to be available to customers outside the US within 90 days.

Claris Corp.‘s home page is http://www.claris.com. 
by Elizabeth Martin

  
Apple’s newest baby, a technology produced in nine months, is 
Game Sprockets Version 1.0, said to  bring real-time graphics 
and sound to multimedia and games on Mac OS computers. 

Using Sprockets, which was announced July 1, 1996, games that 
run on Mac OS-based computers can feature real-time 3D graphics, 
D sound, Internet support, speech recognition, and input device/monitor control. 

The Apple Game Sprockets simplify the creation of high-performance Apple Macintosh entertainment titles. To download version 1.0, visit the Apple Game Developer Web Site at http://dev.info.apple.com/games. 

Game Sprockets are application programming interfaces designed to solve problems that every game developer faces and provide easy access to advanced features like 3D sound and speech recognition that would be too time consuming for most game companies to develop on their own. Apple Game Sprockets supplement existing Apple multimedia technologies such as QuickTime, QuickTime VR, QuickTime Conferencing and QuickDraw 3D. Developers can “mix-and-match” individual sprockets. 

An Apple press release quotes Eric Klein, director of new business development for Bungie Software Products Co., as saying, “Sprockets are definitely going to be hot for Mac game developers.” 

“At the Computer Game Developers Conference, Bungie demonstrated Marathon 2 running with QuickDraw 3D RAVE and an ATI 3D graphics board—the performance was awe-inspiring!” 

The current Game Sprockets software development kit  includes:   

 NetSprocket - Internet connectivity and multi-player gaming API.    
 SoundSprocket - 3D sound and Sound Manager API.   
 SpeechSprocket - speech recognition API .  
 InputSprocket - digital joystick control and input device API.   
 DrawSprocket -  multiple buffering/display control API .  
 QuickDraw 3D RAVE - fast, multi-platform 3D graphics API . 

Apple's home page on the World Wide Web is at http://www.apple.com   

by Elizabeth Martin