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- THE FOLLOWING RELEASE MOVED OVER PR NEWSWIRE AT 8:00 AM, EDT, WEDNESDAY, JULY
- 3, 1991.
-
-
- Contact:
- Paul Bergevin
- IBM
- 914-765-6630
-
- Barbara Krause
- Apple Computer, Inc.
- 408-974-3719
-
- Ken Phillips
- Motorola, Inc.
- 602-952-3637
-
- Apple and IBM Outline Technology Initiatives
- for the 1990s
-
- SAN JOSE, California--July 3, 1991--Apple Computer, Inc. and IBM will
- work to create powerful new open system software platforms for the
- 1990s, according to a letter of intent signed today by both
- companies. The companies will develop and market new technologies
- which both Apple and IBM will integrate into existing and future
- products, as well as offer for use on other vendors' computers.
-
- The letter of intent covers four areas of general understanding:
-
- 1.) Joint venture for object-oriented software.
- Apple and IBM intend to create a new open system software platform
- that will be based on object-oriented technology. The new platform
- will offer major new user and system functionality, while greatly
- simplifying the process of application programming. It will span a
- wide range of computing platforms––from laptop computers to large
- servers––and is expected to run on major industry hardware platforms,
- including Intel's x86, Motorola's 680X0, and IBM's RISC System/6000
- POWER architecture. Apple and IBM intend to use object-oriented
- technology in future product offerings, as well as in current
- operating systems, assuring that applications written for current
- operating systems, including AIX, OS/2 and Macintosh, will run in
- these new environments.
- In order to implement this plan, Apple and IBM will form a new system
- software company to be jointly owned and independently managed. The
- software will be offered for sale for both IBM and Apple computers.
- Additionally, it will be marketed widely by the new company for use
- on other vendors' systems.
-
- 2.) Apple Macintosh computer integration into IBM's enterprise systems.
- IBM and Apple plan to work together to further integrate Macintosh
- into the client/server enterprise environment in two ways. First,
- Apple and IBM will develop, market, and support networking and
- communications products that will further extend the ability of the
- Apple Macintosh computer to operate in the IBM enterprise
- environment. Second, IBM and Apple will develop and market an
- enhanced AIX (IBM's industry-standard UNIX operating system) that
- combines the best of IBM's open systems with Macintosh and its
- thousands of user-oriented productivity applications. The enhanced
- AIX will span the range from desktop workstations to servers, and
- will offer Macintosh and OSF/Motif user interfaces.
-
- 3.) Significant new markets for the IBM POWER RISC architecture.
- Apple intends to adopt future single-chip implementations of IBM's
- RS/6000 POWER architecture--called POWER PC--in future Apple
- Macintosh personal computers. Both companies will use POWER PC
- microprocessors in workstations and file servers. Motorola, Inc. and
- IBM will use their expertise to design and manufacture a new family
- of world-class POWER PC chips. Motorola will serve as a source to
- IBM, Apple and other open systems vendors. Motorola intends to
- market the POWER PC microprocessors in configurations that will
- target a broad spectrum of systems.
-
- 4.) Common multimedia platforms for the industry.
- IBM and Apple plan to work together to create and license platform-
- independent software environments that will stimulate widespread
- industry development of this new technology. New multimedia
- technology resulting from this effort also will be made available for
- use on other vendors' products.
- Implementation of the letter of intent is contingent on the execution
- of definitive contracts. The companies intend to complete the
- contracts later this year and will release further details only at
- that time. Products resulting from these agreements are expected to
- reach the marketplace over the next two to three years.
-
- -30-
-
- 1991 Apple Computer Inc., Apple, and the Apple logo and Macintosh
- are registered trademarks of Apple Computer Inc. IBM, AIX and OS/2
- are registered trademarks of International Business Machines
- Corporation. POWER and POWER PC are trademarks of International
- Business Machines Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark of
- UNIX Laboratories. OSF/Motif is a trademark of Open Software Foundation.
-
- HotNews
- HotNews
- Apple HotNews
- 3-Jul-91
-
-