The servers are made by Motorola, but will be distributed in Australia by Apple via its large reseller channel. It is believed to be the first time Apple has done such a deal anywhere in the world.

However, Apple Australia executives dampened speculation that the parent company might adopt a similar policy in other countries, including the US, saying there were no current plans to extend the arrangement.

The Motorola Series E servers use PowerPC reduced instruction-set computing (RISC) processors developed by the Apple-IBM-Motorola alliance. Most rival NT servers use Intel Pentium or Pentium Pro processors.

The distribution deal seems certain to raise eyebrows. To dyed-in-thewool Macintosh fans, the very idea of Apple marketing a Microsoft device seems outlandish.

But Apple is stressing that the deal doesn't indicate any watering down of its Macintosh commitment. Quite the opposite, according to thirdparty product manager, Graham Barr, it is designed to increase the Mac's penetration of Australian government and large corporate markets.

It should boost Apple revenues at a time when the company needs every dollar it can raise. And it should also mean a significant lift for Motorola, which currently has a minor presence in the Australian server market. Apple's distribution channel will give it exposure through many more resellers.

Observers point out Windows NT has long included the ability to hook Macs, as well as Windows PCs, into corporate networks, though this is not often stressed by Microsoft-aligned vendors.

The Mac client machines will run under their normal MacOS operating system. But later this year Apple is expected to introduce new Macs capable of running either MacOS or Windows NT, as well as Unix, at the click of a mouse button.

Apple has been marketing its own branded servers for the Unix environment, with reasonable success. But the corporate tide is running against Unix and MIS (management information systems) managers are increasingly looking for "total solutions" based on NT, according to Apple's Graham Barr.

The Series E servers feature PowerPC 604 processors running at either 100 or 133 megahertz. Motorola Australia and New Zealand Manager Dr. Vangell Rafael -- the man who brokered the deal -- claims both outperform Intel processors running at the same clock speed. Prices range from around AUS$11,000 to $19,000 (US$14,000-24,000).

The deal complements a growing trend by Apple Australia to distribute third-party products as well as its own computers and peripherals. These include the Visioneer Paperport scanner, the Reply Corp. range of Windows add-on cards for Macs, and ImagePress's ScanPrepPro software for the publishing industry.

According to Apple Asia/Australia Managing Director Steve Vamos, there are no current plans to extend the Motorola marketing arrangement to other countries.

A Motorola press release issued last week under embargo suggested that the initiative was, "likely to be implemented across Asia Pacific." But this was replaced by a later version of the release that made no mention of distribution outside Australia.

Vamos, based in Sydney, is a former IBM PC Co marketing executive who is not afraid of taking a controversial stand within Apple. In comments to the Australian press earlier this year, he said he thought it was time Apple began putting its corporate logo on Windows 95 PCs -- a proposal so far not taken up by the Cupertino, California-based PC maker.

(David Frith/19960625/Press contacts: Dr Vangell Rafael, Motorola, 61-2-9906-3855; Sue Sara, Apple, 61-2-452-8012)