Cupertino, Calif. - Apple appears to be the biggest victim of its recent success. Swamped by demand for many of its desktop and portable Macintoshes, the $7 billion company could find itself with an estimated $1 billion in backlogged Mac orders by early next year, sources said.
Not only is that making for frustrated users and dealers, but some analysts said it could threaten Apple's grip on its No. 1 share of the personal computer market - something it fought hard to reach during the past two years.
For a variety of reasons, nearly all of the company's most popular models - the PowerBook line, the Performa 400 and 600, the Mac IIvx, and Quadra 950 - are in short supply and will not be available in quantity until next month or beyond, according to sources.
Indeed, Apple's fourth-quarter supply problem is even more serious than shortages of a year ago, which left buyers scrambling to locate PowerBooks. The 170 was especially hard to get and remained on allocation until it was discontinued in October when the company shipped the 180.
Almost everything Apple builds seems to be experiencing demand that is much greater than supply.
"If we sold a majority of our backlog, we would have our largest sales ever," said a buyer from a major Mac distributor. "Demand is phenomenal."
While Apple originally thought that dealer double-booking, the practice of ordering more of a hot product than the reseller actually has sold, was exacerbating shortages, the company has determined it is not a major factor in the backlog. Apple spokesman Christopher Escher cited a lack of components as a bigger contributor to Mac shortages.
Sources said active-matrix screen shortages are making the PowerBook 180, Apple's hottest portable, the most difficult product to locate.
A lack of plastic cases is increasing the long-standing backlog of Quadra 950s. The machine has been available only in limited quantities ever since its May introduction.
Production problems notwithstanding, Apple's backlog crisis is being generated primarily by an unanticipated sales groundswell. The company said it simply did not plan to build enough Macs this quarter and now is scrambling to catch up.
"The backlog is being caused by three factors," Escher said. "A surge in demand when products are first introduced is one; underestimating demand for some of our other products, most notably the Quadra, is another. We didn't think our most expensive computer would be this popular.
"Third, we're bringing more products to market faster and there are challenges associated with that aggressive product-delivery strategy," Escher said. "Those challenges include product-line life cycles as well as distribution and channel coordination. And finally, like others in the industry, Apple is facing some constraint on component supplies.
"We won't comment on dollar value [of the backlog], but it is higher than we'd like," he said.
Poor planning, double-booking, component shortages, unusually high demand - whatever the reason, users and dealers face two choices: Order and wait, or buy from another vendor. "We're at [Apple's] mercy. We've set a budget and committed to it," said a frustrated buyer for a large New York investment bank.
Consumers, who analysts say comprise up to 35 percent of holiday computer shoppers, aren't as likely to be patient, according to several mass merchants.
Worse yet, supply problems could deepen in February when Apple introduces a slew of CPUs, including a family of 68040 machines.
Despite the shortages and the specter of long-term availability problems, there still may be a silver lining for Apple. Industry observers said users have no real alternative to the Mac; makers of IBM PC and compatibles - specifically IBM Corp., Compaq Computer Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. - are having just as much trouble meeting demand.
MacWEEK 12.07.92
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(c) Copyright 1992 Coastal Associates, L.P. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
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News: Apple extension will open foreign docs
By Robert Hess
Cupertino, Calif. - A system extension due next year from Apple will make it easier for Macintosh users to open documents created by applications they don't have installed.
The Translation Manager, an extension the company is expected to release to developers next month, is designed to simplify format translation between programs and even across platforms.
The software, which Apple discussed in detail last May at the its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, Calif., has been described as a system-level rather than application-level implementation of XTND, the file-translation technology originally developed by Claris Corp. and transferred to Apple earlier this year.
Like XTND, the new software will have an open architecture, allowing users to add selected filters (known as translation systems) for conversion between Mac applications and between Mac and DOS or other formats. But while XTND required explicit support from application developers, many of the Translation Manager's capabilities will be available to users without special effort from application developers.
The new extension performs several functions that make sharing information between programs easier:
> Application substitution. When users try to open a document created by an application not present on their Mac, the Translation Manager presents a list of other programs capable of opening the document; users no longer will confront the infamous dialog, "The document ... could not be opened because the application program that created it could not be found."
For example, double-clicking a Microsoft Word document on a Mac without Word brings up a dialog offering to open the document in MacWrite II or even TeachText if those applications are present. Once the user chooses an application, the Translation Manager converts the document to a format supported by the selected application, then opens the file in that program.
> Conversion within applications. Applications can use the Translation Manager to convert otherwise incompatible documents.
For example, selecting the Open command in an application updated to support the new extension would produce a list of not only that application's own documents but also those documents it was capable of converting on its own and those in a format for which appropriate translation systems are installed.
> Transportable data conversion. Clipboard contents and publish and subscribe edition files can be converted before they are included in a document. For example, a selection of formatted text copied from MacWrite and pasted into a Word document would appear with its formatting intact; currently, attributes such as font, size and style are stripped away when text is transferred through the Clipboard. Developers will have to write custom translators to support these data conversions or support standard Clipboard formats.
> Interface improvements. The Translation Manager also offers a host of small improvements in the way files present themselves to the user.
When the software is installed, Finder list views include detailed "Kind" information when the creator application is not available but a translator for the format is. Items in Open and Save dialog boxes include color icons. Items can be dragged onto applications when the application is unable to open the document directly but a converter exists for the document type.
Neither a date for release of the Translation Manager to the general public nor details about distribution have been set, sources said. Apple, however, is expected to make it available through developers that license it for bundling.
Translation filters for a few common file types reportedly will be bundled with the Translation Manager, but for other formats users will have to get filters from application developers or purchase them at extra cost from third parties. DataViz Inc. of Trumbull, Conn., is expected to offer several low-priced sets of Translation Manager filters based on the translators it now markets in its MacLinkPlus conversion products.
Apple declined to comment.
MacWEEK 12.07.92
News Page 1
(c) Copyright 1992 Coastal Associates, L.P. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
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News: Ofoto 2.0 to focus on color
Update will support Apple matching plan
By Matthew Rothenberg
Larkspur, Calif. - A new color version of Light Source Inc.'s Ofoto program reportedly will simplify image capture for users of Apple's forthcoming Color OneScanner.
Sources said Version 2.0 of the scan-optimization software will make its debut bundled with the color flatbed scanner, which Apple is expected to ship at next month's Macworld Expo in San Francisco. Ofoto 2.0 also will be available from Light Source, based here.
Like the original gray-scale version of the application, Ofoto 2.0 reportedly includes an Autoscan mode for one-step scanning as well as a range of image controls to simplify calibration of scanners to output devices and adjust captured images to match the characteristics of the user's printer.
The new version scans and optimizes 24-bit-color images as well as gray- scale photos or monochrome line art; it can convert an RGB (red, green, blue) image to TIFF CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) separations.
Users can adjust color cast, set highlight colors and match colors between two images. Version 2.0 adds an Eyedropper tool for selecting colors to duplicate, and users also can choose colors via Apple's color- picker dialog box.
Other new features of Ofoto 2.0 reportedly include:
> ColorSync support. The program works with ColorSync, Apple's forthcoming system software for device-independent color management. Ofoto 2.0 can create ColorSync profiles of PICT or TIFF scans as well as calibrated printers; the system uses these profiles to match colors from printers and monitors.
While ColorSync is based on CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage) standards, sources said Light Source based its calibration scheme on a proprietary color model.
> Enhanced calibration controls. Users now can calibrate color or gray- scale printers, and the upgrade extends Ofoto's calibration controls to monitors as well as output devices. In addition, Ofoto 2.0 replaces the earlier version's list of printer types with a calibration scheme based on Light Source's standard calibrations.
> New tools. Version 2.0 includes a Focus command that selectively sharpens blurred areas of an original image; a Balance Exposure command that automatically adjusts the highlights, shadows and midtones of an over- or underexposed original; and a Zoom Out tool that reduces the image.
> Background scanning. Under MultiFinder or the System 7 Finder, the update can capture images while users work in another application or on another Ofoto document.
> Command queues. Users can specify in advance a series of operations for Ofoto to perform while scanning.
Ofoto 2.0 requires System 6.0.7 or later. Ofoto, which first shipped with Apple's monochrome OneScanner, automatically straightens, sharpens and crops scanned images and adjusts brightness and contrast to match the characteristics of the user's scanner and printer. It supports QuickTime JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) compression.
According to Kristy Holch, analyst with BIS Strategic Decisions Inc. of Norwell, Mass., "Ofoto is recognized and admired as the first very robust but easy-to-use image-acquisition software. Everyone's expecting no less for the color version."
MacWEEK 12.07.92
News Page 1
(c) Copyright 1992 Coastal Associates, L.P. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
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News: Timbuktu breaks into Windows
By Steve Michel
First shown several years ago, Farallon Computing Inc.'s Timbuktu screen-sharing program for Windows finally shipped last week.
The company also updated Timbuktu for the Mac to Version 5.0 and PhoneNET PC, its AppleTalk networking software for IBM PCs and compatibles, to Version 3.0. MacWEEK worked with all three to see what the new tools bring to managers and users wrestling with cross-platform computing. Timbuktu for Windows requires at least Version 3.0a of Windows; we used Windows 3.1.
The focus of Timbuktu for Windows 1.0 is screen sharing, but it also allows users to transfer files to a Mac or another PC. PhoneNET PC also lets Windows users print to AppleTalk printers and mount Mac network disks via AFP (AppleTalk Filing Protocol).
Farallon is selling both PC products together for $199, the same price it charges for PhoneNET PC 3.0 alone (see story, Page 35). In other words, Farallon is giving away Timbuktu for Windows when you buy its PC AppleTalk package.
Whether it's running on a Mac or PC, Timbuktu provides four levels of access between guest and host: sending files to the host, exchanging (and sometimes deleting) files bidirectionally, observing the host screen and controlling the host screen.
When Mac files are copied to a PC, long file names are truncated. We were disappointed that when PC files are sent to the Mac via Timbuktu, their file extensions are not mapped to Mac file types and creators. PhoneNET PC does perform this mapping. When running Timbuktu between two Macs, you can transfer the contents of a Clipboard across the network. This feature is not available under Windows, either for PC-to-PC communication or between platforms - another disappointment.
Observing a remote computer slows it down, but we expect this function still will be useful in training situations. With complete remote control, users can really collaborate on work; both the guest and host can use their keyboards and mice in the same document, with priority given to the local host.
Security and installation. Timbuktu security is password-based; to give a particular set of privileges to a user or group of users, you simply tell them the appropriate password.
The Windows software consists of a Timbuktu application and some device drivers that are installed when the AUTOEXEC.BAT file is run. The device drivers also are part of PhoneNET PC, so adding Timbuktu doesn't take up much more disk space. An icon for Timbuktu is placed in the Startup program group, so Timbuktu is loaded whenever you boot Windows.
The Mac software consists of a Timbuktu extension, as well as an application for System 7 or a desk accessory for System 6.
Conclusions. In our testing, the Mac made a more capable guest than host. Controlling Windows from a Mac had a snappier feel than going the other way; controlling a Mac from a PC was poky. Screen sharing in either direction is costly in terms of RAM. As screen size and color depth grow, so do the memory and performance penalties exacted for screen sharing. You can exert some control by lowering color depth or by prohibiting guest connections in color.
Timbuktu isn't the first screen-sharing utility for Windows, but it probably will be as useful in Windows-only shops as Timbuktu for the Mac is in Mac shops. As a cross-platform solution, however, we are less convinced of its utility. Support personnel most likely will want to work on the same platform as the users they are supporting; we expect the same is true of trainers. While we can see the potential for people doing collaborative screen-sharing across platforms, the circumstances calling for it seem to be relatively rare.
On the other hand, PhoneNET PC lets DOS and Windows machines access shared Mac network volumes and AppleTalk printers - a great set of capabilities for multiplatform sites. Although PhoneNET PC does not allow DOS-based machines to share their local disks with Macs - and we wish Farallon had devoted its energies to permitting this - we bet this software will be used nearly every day in Mac shops with a few PCs.
Farallon Computing Inc. is at 2000 Powell St., Suite 600, Emeryville, Calif. 94608. Phone (510) 596-9000; fax (510) 596-9023.
MacWEEK 12.07.92
News Page 1
(c) Copyright 1992 Coastal Associates, L.P. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
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News: ACI US delivers 4D Server and 4D 3.0
By Lisa Picarille
Cupertino, Calif. - ACI US Inc. has shipped 4th Dimension 3.0 and 4D Server, the client-server incarnations of its relational database.
The $895 4D, which shipped last month, no longer supports multiple users; it's intended for individuals and database designers. ACI concentrated multi-user support in its $1,495-and-up database engine, 4D Server, which was released last week.
Multi-user 4D databases require dedicated Macs but not file servers. Beta testers applauded the new architecture and pricing.
"Splitting 3.0 into a server and stand-alone version works well," said Lou Benjamin, president of AdInfinitum Development Co., a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based 4D developer. "Relying on the old file-serving model was a problem for 4D. This opens the door for big, multi-user applications."
Jim Collar, president of Footprints Inc., a 4D consulting company in Salt Lake City, said, "There will be a marked improvement in performance and the number of users the system can handle - 50 users will not be unusual."
Pricing for the new server is based on the number of concurrent users. "Our analysis shows that we only have 10 - at the most 20 - users accessing the database concurrently. Why pay for users who aren't using it?" said Orv Jordahl, senior manager of information systems at McDonnell Douglas Corp.'s Space Station Division in Huntington Beach, Calif.
4D Server is $1,495 for three users, $6,495 for 25 users and $15,000 for an unlimited-user license. Sites with multiple 4D runtime licenses can get a 50 percent discount on a 4D Server version for an equivalent number of users. Runtime upgrades are $35.
Upgrades from 4th Dimension 2 to 3.0 are $195 until Jan. 31, when the price will be $295. Those who purchased 4D after July 1 can upgrade for a $15 shipping fee.
ACI US Inc. is at 10351 Bubb Road, Cupertino, Calif. 95014. Phone (408) 252-4444 or (800) 235-5335; fax (408) 252-0831.
MacWEEK 12.07.92
News Page 1
(c) Copyright 1992 Coastal Associates, L.P. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
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News: ACI US delivers 4D Server and 4D 3.0
By Lisa Picarille
Cupertino, Calif. - ACI US Inc. has shipped 4th Dimension 3.0 and 4D Server, the client-server incarnations of its relational database.
The $895 4D, which shipped last month, no longer supports multiple users; it's intended for individuals and database designers. ACI concentrated multi-user support in its $1,495-and-up database engine, 4D Server, which was released last week.
Multi-user 4D databases require dedicated Macs but not file servers. Beta testers applauded the new architecture and pricing.
"Splitting 3.0 into a server and stand-alone version works well," said Lou Benjamin, president of AdInfinitum Development Co., a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based 4D developer. "Relying on the old file-serving model was a problem for 4D. This opens the door for big, multi-user applications."
Jim Collar, president of Footprints Inc., a 4D consulting company in Salt Lake City, said, "There will be a marked improvement in performance and the number of users the system can handle - 50 users will not be unusual."
Pricing for the new server is based on the number of concurrent users. "Our analysis shows that we only have 10 - at the most 20 - users accessing the database concurrently. Why pay for users who aren't using it?" said Orv Jordahl, senior manager of information systems at McDonnell Douglas Corp.'s Space Station Division in Huntington Beach, Calif.
4D Server is $1,495 for three users, $6,495 for 25 users and $15,000 for an unlimited-user license. Sites with multiple 4D runtime licenses can get a 50 percent discount on a 4D Server version for an equivalent number of users. Runtime upgrades are $35.
Upgrades from 4th Dimension 2 to 3.0 are $195 until Jan. 31, when the price will be $295. Those who purchased 4D after July 1 can upgrade for a $15 shipping fee.
ACI US Inc. is at 10351 Bubb Road, Cupertino, Calif. 95014. Phone (408) 252-4444 or (800) 235-5335; fax (408) 252-0831.
MacWEEK 12.07.92
News Page 1
(c) Copyright 1992 Coastal Associates, L.P. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
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GA: Adobe takes 2-D to new Dimensions
Program adds depth to imported images
By Kirsten L. Parkinson
Mountain View, Calif. - Adobe Systems Inc. recently shipped Dimensions, a $199 program that turns 2-D PostScript images into 3-D art.
With Dimensions, Macintosh users can either import two-dimensional objects from compatible drawing programs, such as Adobe Illustrator, Aldus FreeHand and Deneba Software's Canvas, or draw three-dimensional objects within the application.
Dimensions' features include:
> Familiar interface. The program's tool bar and dialog boxes resemble Illustrator's 2-D interface.
> Mapping. Users can wrap imported 2-D line art around 3-D objects.
> 3-D tools. The program lets users rotate objects at any angle, change perspective and choose multiple light sources.
> Rendering. Users can render objects and then preview them in draft, wireframe and shaded modes.
"I've been using Illustrator to make my living for the past four years, and I have often added things like perspective by hand," said Joe Lertola, associate graphics director for Time magazine in New York. "We do a lot of maps and like to create perspective for them, and Dimensions is perfect for doing things like that."
Brett Coffey, an artist for Reuben H. Donnelley in Terre Haute, Ind., said: "For someone who already uses Illustrator, there's really no learning time. I really see it as an extension of Illustrator rather than an actual program itself."
Dimensions is available at an introductory price of $99 through March 1 and will be bundled free with Illustrator until then. Users who purchased Illustrator after Sept. 1 also will receive a free copy of Dimensions.
Adobe Systems Inc. is at 1585 Charleston Road, P.O. Box 7900, Mountain View, Calif. 94039. Phone (415) 961-4400; fax (415) 961-3769.
MacWEEK 12.07.92
GA Page 48
(c) Copyright 1992 Coastal Associates, L.P. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
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ProductWatch: Mac security software safeguards your data
Managers have many options for stopping the casual intruder or even the professional corporate spy.
By Bob Weibel
They're out to get you: disgruntled employees, hackers, snoops, professional spies and even friends bent on "improving" your Mac's configuration.
"The Macintosh is so inviting, people often don't think twice about sitting down and clicking away at folders to see what's there," said Vance Nesbitt, president of Kent*Marsh Ltd., a developer of Mac desktop security software.
This can create a time-wasting nuisance if you have to navigate through a desktop of rearranged folders or missing desk accessories.
The curious or malicious also may be tempted to steal - by pirating software or removing confidential files - thereby violating you or your clients' privacy. Then there's fraud. "We see a problem with data modification," Nesbitt said, "where [modified] spreadsheets or payroll data is substituted for the original."
Obviously, more-valuable information attracts tougher intruders, and truly cloak-and-dagger operations may require hardware-based security options such as armed guards or armored vaults.
However, software utilities can provide the two common levels of security most businesses need: access control and data encryption.
Access-control utilities lock your Mac's disks, folders and files with password-protection schemes that allow you to use your Mac but keep curious meddlers out. For top security, you may need to encrypt sensitive files so that they can't be recovered even by professional snoops.
Locking partitions. Some hard disk drive vendors, such as La Cie Ltd. and FWB Inc., include access security features with their disk-driver software tool kits, though these features are also available separately.
You can partition a large disk into several smaller volumes, each of which can be protected with a password. Once they are protected, you're prompted for one or more passwords when you start up your Mac, depending on how many volumes you've created.
Chris Tavares, secretary of the National Association of Rocketry in Shakopee, Minn., uses La Cie's Silverlining on his home-office Mac IIci. "It was quite easy to install and simple to use," Tavares said. "Silverlining partitions keep my work files secure when my youngsters boot up the Mac for games or schoolwork."
Since the system partition must be kept open to allow the Mac to start up from the hard disk, Tavares said, system access isn't easily controlled unless you intend to start up from a floppy disk.
Joe Sewell, senior software developer at Level Five Research Inc. of Indialantic, Fla., uses both Silverlining and FWB's Hard Disk ToolKit to protect his Mac SE and external hard drives. FWB's ToolKit also includes data encryption.
Locking folders and files. For more-flexible access security, utilities such as Casady & Greene Inc.'s Access Managed Environment (A.M.E.), KentuMarsh's FolderBolt, Fifth Generation Systems Inc.'s DiskLock and ASD Software Inc.'s FileGuard can provide password protection down to the folder and even the file level. A.M.E., DiskLock, and FileGuard also provide data encryption.
Sherrill Nicely, senior security engineer for Computer Sciences Corp., a consulting company in Washington, D.C., breaks computer security systems for a living. Recently, Nicely reviewed security software for a client looking for Mac access security.
"Casady & Greene's A.M.E. is the system of choice for our client," Nicely said, "primarily because it has a very strong password sign-on method; i.e., one that was harder to break than competing products we tested."
According to Nicely, A.M.E. was the only program that disabled the Mac programmer's tools. "With [these tools] enabled, a skilled user could bypass the normal boot process and whatever security procedures may be in place," she said.
With A.M.E. you can create a hierarchy of users for multiple levels of access management. Global options let you prevent System folder changes, lock out viruses or unauthorized applications, and delete files to meet high-level government security standards. For all that, A.M.E. requires only about 130 Kbytes of memory, less than competing products, and it is the only program that restricts Macintosh serial and printer port access.
Kent*Marsh takes a modular approach to Mac security, with separate products for each level of security. FolderBolt lacks file-level password protection and file encryption but is the least expensive of the competitors.
To safeguard the proprietary software code on her hard disk, Majula Geethani, programming engineer for Electronics For Imaging of Belmont, Calif., protects several folders on her hard disk with FolderBolt. "With our open environment," Geethani said, "I'm mainly concerned with strangers wandering in, not my fellow employees. FolderBolt is uncomplicated and easy to control."
In addition, Geethani locks her hard disk with KentuMarsh's NightWatch II so that it can't be accessed when she's not there. NightWatch II actually has three access-control options: password; key disk, which you insert to unlock the disk without a password; and token disk, which requires authorized disk insertion, plus correct user name and password. Kent*Marsh also offers MacSafe II for individual file protection, with optional file encryption.
"With paper, we lock up everything that's lockable," said Clark Ferguson, system security manager at Northern Telecom in Ottawa. "With personal computers, we now need to do these same things."
Ferguson notes that even locked offices are open for several hours in the evenings for janitors who aren't necessarily cleared for security. Ferguson favors Fifth Generation Systems' DiskLock. "I like DiskLock's idle-time locking, which lets me continue to run background jobs while the computer is otherwise locked down," he said.
With DiskLock and System 7, Ferguson can safely leave his desktop Mac running so he can use AppleTalk Remote Access (ARA) from his PowerBook while on the road. Ferguson also relies on DiskLock's audit trail, which logs all system usage, including unauthorized access attempts.
"The logs are particularly helpful in chasing ghosts, so I can indicate to users that their machines haven't been accessed, as they suspect," Ferguson said.
The risk of remote. Although convenient, System 7's remote access and built-in file sharing also open a security hole for managers such as Ferguson.
"Under System 7, any user can easily make their hard drive available to guests," he said. "I can't enforce a corporate standard on the password length or force users to change them regularly."
Larry Copeland, network manager at Hunt Oil Co. of Dallas, also would like to use ARA but said the security risk is too high. He uses ASD's FileGuard to protect the company's Macs, and he relies on FileGuard's disk, folder and file protection; data encryption; and activity log features.
Total security? But there is always some risk. As Level Five Research's Sewell said, "The only 100 percent secure system is a Mac with the power supply torn out, the processor clipped off and a hard drive with all heads crashed."
Hunt Oil's Copeland doesn't take any chances with hardware containing personnel records, strategic marketing and merger plans, or exploration results.
These servers and stand-alone Macs are physically straightjacketed with padlocks on floppy drives and keyboards, and they reside in a locked room in a pass-card-secured building.
Ultimately, there is no such thing as a 100 percent secure system. However, if your requirements are modest, these security products might be all you need.
Product Info
ASD SOFTWARE INC.
FileGuard: $249
4650 Arrow Highway, Suite E-6, Montclair, Calif. 91763
(c) Copyright 1992 Coastal Associates, L.P. All rights reserved. This material
may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
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Mac the Knife: No-fuss image-file management
Aside from some rather crummy weather, this final month of the year has a lot going for it. There's the continuing spectacle of the Clinton transition team scurrying about trying to top its own last news bite and keep those interested in such things docile. The marathon inauguration spectacle also promises to provide a post-holiday diversion for the common people, whoever they might be.
When there is a circus in the modern age, millions and millions of photographic images are sure to be recorded. This leads to the problem of figuring out a way to keep track of those images. Apple's anticipated image server may be just what we need here at the dawn of the Multimedia Age.
The general outlines of the image server are beginning to take form, although it is doubtful that the product actually will ship before the end of 1993, at the earliest. (The image server, by the way, is not to be confused with Apple's upcoming file server, which is expected to ship some time in the first half of the new year.)
According to the Knife, the image server is designed specifically to help users store and retrieve graphics and text without having to deal with the muss and fuss of trying to shoehorn the data into a structured database. Instead, the image server will use intelligent agents that examine the contents of each file and make retrievals based on user descriptions. The fact that the descriptions can verge on the nebulous is perhaps its most advanced feature. Those who need this sort of tool can send the thank-you notes in advance to Apple's Enterprise Systems Division.
Hits keep on coming. Apple may have been pleasantly surprised at the success of the QuickTime for Windows development kit, which became available last month.
Sources tell the Knife that about 600 kits were snapped up by enthusiastic developers in the first 30 days. And the Mac boosters in the crowd can take secret delight in the fact that many of these orders were placed not by Mac developers interested in branching out, but by established Windows developers who recognize a superior solution when they see one.
This may come as some surprise to TV viewers. Last month they were inundated with news proclaiming that with the arrival of Microsoft Video for Windows you can now actually have moving pictures on your PC monitor.
Enterprise time. The people at Apple working on the Enterprise Toolbox are hoping for a similar success on a different scale when shipments begin to developers shortly.
Network developers are bound to appreciate the new cleaner modular design in which resources for TCP/IP, OSI and the like are treated as system extensions. Perhaps it's a good thing that AppleTalk is included in the Mac ROMs. Otherwise, in today's climate Apple might be tempted to rip it out and sell it separately.
Hard squeeze. Even without scads of still-image and QuickTime movie files, disk space seems to be in permanently chronic short supply on most Mac hard disks. That might explain why there are so many compression utility products out there crowding the market and intimidating the uninitiated.
Now comes word from the Knife that Now Software is almost ready to announce Compress Express, its own entry. Crowded or not, there's no doubt that compression utilities are a hot market - so hot, in fact, that Apple is giving some thought to integrating file compression into the operating system.
Now that the feds are insisting on fat-content labels on red meat, the MacWEEK mug is one of the few honest pleasures left. If you've got the tip the Knife is looking for, contact the Knife at (415) 243-3544, fax (415) 243-3650, MCI (MactheKnife), AppleLink (MacWEEK) and CompuServe/ZiffNet/Mac.
MacWEEK 12.07.92
Mac the Knife Page 174
(c) Copyright 1992 Coastal Associates, L.P. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
