Free Mac OS Update Improves Sherlock Search Feature, System Stability and PowerBook Battery Life
WWDC, SAN JOSE, California-May 10, 1999-At its annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), Apple Computer, Inc. today introduced Mac® OS 8.6, an update to the Macintosh® operating system that provides an easier to use and more powerful Sherlock(tm) search feature; increases system stability; and delivers significantly improved battery life for PowerBook® users. Mac OS 8.6 is available today as a free update for Mac OS 8.5 customers and can be downloaded from www.apple.com/macos.
"Mac OS 8.5 has been a hit with Mac customers all over the world and Sherlock has changed the way people access information on the Internet," said Phil Schiller, Apple's vice president of worldwide product marketing. "Mac OS 8.6 builds upon this great foundation and is packed with new features that will benefit millions of Macintosh customers, whether they have an iMac, PowerBook or Power Macintosh."
The primary new features in Mac OS 8.6 include:
* Updated version of Sherlock-the personal search detective introduced in Mac OS 8.5-with over 25 plug-ins that allow fast searches of popular web sites such as CNN Interactive, CNET, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Music Boulevard and Rolling Stone, in addition to Internet search engines such as Alta Vista, Excite, HotBot, Infoseek and Lycos. Sherlock's "find by content" feature now includes the ability to search the content of PDF and HTML files stored on your hard drive;
* Advanced power management technologies that increase PowerBook battery life by more than one hour on PowerBook computers;
* Support for many Nokia or Ericsson IRDA-capable mobile phones, allowing PowerBook users to check email or access the Internet through their mobile phone (requires a compatible PowerBook, phone and service provider);
* Improved USB and FireWire® integration, providing superior plug and play and support for the latest USB and FireWire peripherals;
* Support for DVD-RAM disks, allowing users to store and share information using this emerging high-capacity format;
* Enhanced game support through integration of Apple's Game Sprockets technology, the basis for many of the most popular Mac games;
* Mac OS Runtime for Java (MRJ) 2.1.1, the latest version of Apple® Java Virtual Machine, running Java software up to five times faster* and with support for JDK 1.1.7;
* AppleScript® 1.3.7, supporting scriptable access to the Internet so Macintosh users can upload and download content and data within automated workflows, and adds the ability to schedule AppleScripts so they can run when the computer is unmanned;
* ColorSync® 2.6.1, enhancing publishing automation through improved AppleScript integration, easy configuration of ColorSync profiles and CMM selections, and support for JPEG and GIF files.
Pricing and Availability Mac OS 8.5 customers can download Mac OS 8.6 free of charge at www.apple.com/macos. Mac OS 8.5 customers can order Mac OS 8.6 on CD-ROM for U.S. $19.95 with order forms also available at www.apple.com/macos. Mac OS 8.6 will ship on many Macintosh computers immediately and will be included with all Macintosh computers in the coming weeks.
Apple also today announced its new line of PowerBook notebooks that continue the product's tradition of being the fastest notebook computer in the world. With PowerPC G3 processors running up to 400MHz, the new PowerBook line benchmark over twice as fast as the fastest Intel notebooks**. In addition, the new PowerBook line features battery life up to five hours (with one battery, up to ten hours with optional second battery). The new PowerBook line is almost 20 percent thinner and, at 5.9 pounds in weight, nearly two pounds lighter than their award-winning predecessors.
Apple today also announced the shipment of the Macintosh version of OpenGL 3D graphics software; and an agreement with Dragon Systems to bring their award-winning speech recognition software to the Macintosh.
* Apple tests using industry-standard CaffeineMark3 benchmarks. ** Based on industry standard ByteMark integer processor test.
Apple Computer, Inc. ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II, and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is now recommitted to its original mission-to bring the best personal computing products and support to students, educators, designers, scientists, engineers, businesspersons and consumers in over 140 countries around the world.
Bob Nunn - President, Operator Headgap Systems President, AppleCore of Memphis, Inc. E-mail: headgap@headgap.com
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