Cupertino, Calif. - A Mac by another name may sell better in the consumer marketplace.
That's apparently the logic behind the Performa family, which Apple is expected to debut Oct. 19: The new series reportedly will include not only two brand-new three-slot models (see MacWEEK, July 27), but also renamed versions of the Mac Classic II and LC II.
The main difference between the mainstream Macs and the Performa line, sources said, will be where the computers are sold and what software they come with:
>Channels. The Performa line will be marketed through consumer chains such as Sears, Roebuck & Co. and Price Club, while Apple will continue to market the rest of its product family, including the LC II and Classic II, through traditional resellers and computer superstores.
>Software. The Performa models are expected to arrive with System 7 and an integrated application in ROM.
Topping the new line will be the Performa 600 and a CD-ROM-equipped sibling, the 600D. Both will be based on a new CPU design (see MacWEEK, July 27) and reportedly will have a 32-MHz 68030 processor and three NuBus slots, but no math coprocessor or cache memory. A processor direct slot will accept an accelerator card Apple plans to roll out in October along with the new models, sources said.
The Performa 600 models will have a floppy drive built in. Apple still is debating whether any of the Mac Performas will come with a hard drive, but buyers will be able to add SCSI drives if they want.
The Performa 600 CD will include an internal CD-ROM drive based on a new dual-speed, Photo CD-ready mechanism from Sony Corp. of America, according to sources. The system will be bundled with a selection of CD titles Apple reportedly hopes will entice buyers to pay the several-hundred-dollar premium Apple is expected to charge for the CD-ROM configuration.
The Performa 600s will probably be bootable from a ROM card with the latest version of System 7 installed. The card also will include At Ease, the Finder overlay Apple will introduce this week (see story, Page 16), and at least one integrated package, such as ClarisWorks.
Exactly what third-party software will be bundled with the Performa probably will vary at each outlet.
Following a trend started with Apple's latest high-end Macs, the Quadra 700 and 950, the Performa line will not be defined by its external design.
In addition to the Performa 600, Apple also reportedly will reintroduce the LC II as the Performa 400 and Classic II as the Performa 200. Like the new three-slot model, the renamed units will be offered with bundled software, including the system and applications in ROM.
The Performa 600, 600 CD and 400 reportedly will come with the low-cost 13-inch VGA color monitor Apple is expected to introduce in October.
Prices on the Performa line haven't been set, sources said, but some models are expected to list for less than $1,000.
While Apple apparently intends to position the Performa machines as consumer products, the new name and distribution plan may not discourage volume buyers from purchasing Macs where they get the best deal.
"We buy a lot of IIcis, so the [new three-slot] design sounds like it'll be a perfect step up," said Bruce Whetstone, manager of corporate information technologies for Amgen Inc. in Thousand Oaks, Calif. "However, we don't feel we get anything extra from computer retailers. And because Apple is obviously moving away from retailers we may ultimately want to move away too."
MacWEEK 08.03.92
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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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PowerBooks extras, QuickTime, telephony to star at Boston expo
By Henry Norr
San Francisco - Upward of 50,000 Mac managers and aficionados and some 430 vendors are expected to converge in Boston this week for the annual summer Macworld Expo, a show that will be dominated by PowerBook and QuickTime products, new telephony technologies, and high-end accelerators.
Apple will introduce the PowerBook 145, a new notebook that offers a faster processor and a lower list price than the 140 it replaces.
But third-party PowerBook enhancements may steal Apple's thunder, as crowds flock to see such portents of the mobile-computing future as a replacement color screen from Newer Technology and a wireless modem from Applied Engineering.
QuickTime will be much in evidence, not only at an opening-day QuickTime Film Festival but also throughout the two-hall show's 286,500 square feet of exhibit space.
The usual suspects in the movie business all will be on hand with new hardware and software, and FAST Electronics U.S. Inc. will preview its versatile Video Machine.
On the performance front, in addition to a slew of 68040-based accelerators and speedy new hard disks, show goers will have a chance to get their hands on the new generation of application- specific accelerators based on digital signal processing technology.
SuperMac Technology will be touting the benefits of the ThunderStorm, its digital signal processor (DSP)-based Photoshop accelerator, while both Newer and Spectral Innovations Inc. show new multiple-DSP products they say offer even better performance.
The PowerBook 145, the new 25-MHz 68030-based midrange notebook, will list for $2,399 with 4 Mbytes of RAM and a 40-Mbyte drive and $2,799 for a 4/80 configuration, compared with $2,999 and $3,299 for comparable 140 configurations.
Unlike the 25-MHz PowerBook 170, the new model won't give users the option of dropping back to 16 MHz to save battery life. An Apple spokesperson said software implementing the feature on the 145 is under development.
Contrary to a previous report (see MacWEEK, July 27), the new model will not sleep or shut down automatically when closed.
Newer's color PowerBook upgrade kit, due in October for about $5,000, features a Sharp color active-matrix screen that can be installed into the PowerBook 140 and 170 in place of the original monochrome display.
A video card developed in collaboration with Computer Care Inc. of Minneapolis delivers eight-bit color and a resolution of 640 by 480 pixels at 96 dpi. It includes 6 Mbytes of RAM, of which 400 to 500 Kbytes will be required for the display, according to Newer. The display will reduce battery life by about 15 percent to 20 percent, the company said.
MacWEEK 08.03.92
News Page 1
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PowerBooks get cellular links
By Andrew Gore
Dallas - Applied Engineering this week plans to unveil a family of products that can transform a PowerBook into a wireless modem, fax machine, answering machine and telephone.
The CommPort family, which will debut at this week's Macworld Expo, will include:
>Cellular link. The first product in the CommPort lineup, sources said, is the Intelligent Cellular Telephone Interface (ICTI), which adds a standard RJ-11 telephonic interface to a variety of cellular phones. ICTIs should allow any computer with a standard modem to communicate through a cellular phone. Communications software will treat the cellular phone as it would a wall jack, and even stand-alone fax machines should work with the device.
A custom ICTI will be required for each model of cellular phone because of differences in protocols and connectors. ICTIs are expected to ship in September for about $400.
>Voice modem. In October, Applied will follow up with an internal PowerBook modem that sends and receives fax and data at a base speed of 14.4 Kbps. The modem will support V.42bis and MNP Level 5 data compression, as well as the newer MNP Level 10, which maximizes throughput under the adverse conditions such as wireless devices are apt to encounter. The modem also will include a version of STF Technologies Inc.'s FAXstf software with added optical character recognition capabilities.
According to sources, the tiny modem board also will digitize voice, allowing users to turn their PowerBooks into telephones, speakerphones and answering machines. Applied's voice modem is expected to be priced near $1,000. The company also is expected to bundle an Ear Phone, the miniature speaker and microphone combination in an earplug from Poway, Calif.-based Norris Communications Corp.
>CommPhone. The dashboard controlling the modem's digital telephone capabilities will be Applied's CommPhone. The software includes an on-screen keypad for dialing numbers manually, a phone book and a random-access digital answering machine program.
A Caller ID option will enable CommPhone to store specific messages or instructions for individuals in the program's phone book. For instance, you could instruct CommPhone to alert you if your boss calls and take a message from anyone else. If users buy the Caller ID add-on, they'll also get dual-tone modulated frequency support, which will let them control the program remotely using standard touch-tone keypads, sources said.
>Cellular Mac. By year-end, Applied reportedly will ship a multifunction cellular add-on. It will come in two forms: an internal device for PowerBooks that replaces the floppy drive and an external one that also can connect to Mac II-family computers.
The internal version will include a PCMCIA slot allowing users to access an external floppy drive or third-party add-ons, such as pager or wireless LAN cards. The external version has a PCMCIA slot plus Applied's voice modem built-in.
Both versions will include a communications controller that will be able to mediate among a number of different connections. For instance, users will be able to select among making a call on the cellular phone, dialing AppleLink through a wall socket or connecting to a LAN through a radio transmitter, sources said.
Although pricing hasn't been set, the internal cellular device bundled with the required voice modem and PCMCIA floppy will retail for about $3,000, sources said.
>PowerPhone. Although Applied's cellular package is expected to be demonstrated at a public reception this Wednesday, the fully wireless PowerBook demo probably won't be seen at the expo. According to sources, Applied and its partners are working on a demo in which a cellular PowerBook is controlled using voice over a wireless version of Norris' Ear Phone. The PowerBook would download files, call home and play back messages to a user sitting on the opposite side of the room.
Applied Engineering is at 3210 Beltline, Dallas, Texas 75234. Phone (214) 241-6060; fax (214) 484-1365.
MacWEEK 08.03.92
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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Apple readies colorful crop of peripherals
By Carolyn Said
Cupertino, Calif. - In sync with its rainbow-hued logo, Apple is moving to get serious about color.
The company plans a line of color products aimed to make device- independent WYSIWYG color a given for all Mac users.
Apple's color products, reportedly to debut this year, include:
>Color printer. Apple's first entry into the color printer market will be based on Canon USA Inc.'s BJC-820 Bubble Jet engine, which offers CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) color at 360-by-360-dpi resolution. Canon's bubblejet technology uses heat to expand and push the ink onto the page through tiny nozzles. Each of the device's four print heads contains 64 nozzles. Canon already offers a printer based on its BJC-820 engine for $2,995.
Apple is a relative latecomer to the color printer market, analysts noted. "Apple has been searching around for the perfect color printing technology for years," said Rob Auster, printer analyst at BIS Strategic Decisions Inc. in Norwell, Mass. "Meanwhile companies like Hewlett-Packard have been grabbing all the customers. By the time Apple gets its dream machine, there may be nobody left to sell it to."
>ColorSync. A new system-level color-management technology will provide an underlying basis for ensuring that colors remain consistent from input to display to output, sources said.
ColorSync, which will be a System 7 extension, will consist of several pieces: Device profiles will describe the characteristics of various peripherals such as printers and scanners. Apple will provide device profiles for its peripherals and will evangelize third parties to write profiles for their devices. A color matching system with a built-in gamma-checking facility will convert colors between various color models. Color-matching software will adjust images for a target output device. Apple's current Component Manager will link ColorSync's components.
Describing the system at the Seybold Seminars 92 publishing show in February, Gerald Murch, Apple director of imaging systems, said: "We tried to make it as painless as possible to use. You don't have to do anything except call the driver for your device."
The system will offer hooks to more-sophisticated color-management systems such as those from Eastman Kodak Co. or Electronics for Imaging Inc.
ColorSync should vastly improve the process of working with color, professionals said. "This will let us proof color work on a digital printer without making expensive and time-consuming film proofs," said one color professional.
>Color OneScanner. Apple is planning a 24-bit-color version of its gray-scale OneScanner (see MacWEEK, April 27). The scanner reportedly will capture letter-size images at resolutions up to 300 dpi, and can scan a full-size, 300-dpi color image in 15 seconds. The scanner reportedly will come bundled with a color update to Ofoto software from Light Source Inc. of Greenbrae, Calif., that automatically optimizes scans for the user's output device.
>RGB monitor. Apple will introduce a new 13-inch RGB (red, green, blue) display to replace its current AppleColor High-Resolution RGB monitor. The display will likely be about $600. It will be Apple's first to offer VGA compatibility, continuing the company's surge into the DOS market.
Neil McManus contributed to this report.
MacWEEK 08.03.92
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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Video calls use basic phone lines
ShareVision system to send voice, data
By Mitch Ratcliffe
San Jose, Calif. - Macworld crowds this week will get a new definition of the old phrase "Seeing is believing" when a start-up company named ShareVision Technology Inc. demonstrates a groundbreaking desktop videoconferencing system.
ShareVision will be the first company to offer color videoconferencing and document sharing over a single, ordinary telephone line, company officials said. Competing videoconferencing systems, such as Northern Telecom Inc.'s black-and-white Visit Video or Compression Labs Inc.'s Cameo Personal Video System Model 2001, require access to Switched 56 or ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) telephone lines.
ShareVision's desktop visual communications system (DVC), expected to ship in late October, will provide videoconferencing with still- image capture capabilities, screen sharing, a software telephone and a Group 3 fax-data modem.
The ShareVision product is expected to cost less than $3,000. The Northern Telecom product ranges between $2,900 and $3,55, while Compression Labs' is $2,095.
ShareVision uses a proprietary compression technology, called Vector Adaptive Transform Processing (VATP), to send and receive color video images, voice and other data over a 14.4-Kbps modem connection. Users will have the ability to set priorities for voice and video, allowing them to trade slower image refreshes for better sound quality.
The system includes two NuBus cards (one for video processing and the other for compression and modem communication); a video camera; DVC software; and Ear Phone from Norris Communications Corp. of Poway, Calif., to provide a hands-free telephone connection.
The DVC hardware handles all processing associated with a videoconference, leaving the user's Mac free to run other applications.
During a ShareVision videoconference, users will see both their own image and that of a conferee. Conferees can work together on their Mac desktops. Using a shared software whiteboard, they can sketch or type their ideas during brainstorming sessions. The modems also will allow users to send files during a conference.
Unlike other videoconferencing systems, users also can collaborate in a third-party application. For instance, changes made to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet on one user's screen are immediately reflected on the other's Mac screen.
ShareVision's video performance is about the same as that provided by rivals Northern Telecom and Compression Labs: between 5 and 12 frames per second, according to the company. However, ShareVision said its compression technology is optimized to deliver the best possible image of a talking head. VATP does not update the periphery of a video image but concentrates on processing the features of a person's face and clothing.
ShareVision also will include a control panel that lets users take a snapshot of the other conferee or record a video conversation. According to ShareVision, VATP compression allows users to save a 10-minute video conversation on a single 1.44-Mbyte floppy disk.
"This is a big step toward practical desktop video," said Paul Saffo, senior research fellow at the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, Calif. "The fact that you can do the video, voice and data on an add-in board is the real breakthrough."
While Saffo had high praise for ShareVision's technology, he expressed doubts that ordinary users will be videoconferencing in the near future. "Nobody can buy just one, it's still a lot of money, and it won't work with other existing systems like the AT&T VideoPhone 2500," which is based on Compression Labs' technology, Saffo said.
ShareVision said it may unbundle parts of the DVC system to provide screen sharing without video or more exotic applications such as video mail, an extended version of voice mail that allows users to leave a video message when they call. Individual DVC modules could sell for less than $1,000, ShareVision said.
ShareVision Technology Inc. is at 2951 Zanker Road, San Jose, Calif. 95134. Phone (408) 428-0330; fax (408) 428-9871.
MacWEEK 08.03.92
News Page 1
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GatorLink supports 3 ARAclients
Cayman first to offer simultaneous access
By April Streeter
Cambridge, Mass. - Cayman Systems Inc. this week will face off against rival Shiva Corp. at Macworld Expo in Boston, unholstering the first three-shooter in the AppleTalk Remote Access server rendition of the Gunfight at the OK Corral.
Due next month for $1,899, the company's GatorLink will let up to three Macs dial in simultaneously to an AppleTalk network through AppleTalk Remote Access (ARA) and standard modems. Previously, users have had only one-port ARA server choices, either a Mac running Apple's ARA software or Shiva's LanRover/L, a $699 remote access server for LocalTalk.
GatorLink will support three incoming modem lines and an Ethernet network interface. LocalTalk-only networks need a gateway or router to use GatorLink.
>Serial I/O specialist. The Motorola 68302 processor at the heart of GatorLink uses integrated I/O-processing circuitry to reduce the overhead generated by three simultaneous modem connections. These savings leave the GatorLink plenty of CPU power to handle the ARA protocols, Cayman said.
>Not a router. Unlike the LanRover/L, which functions like a router, Cayman's server treats each dial-in user as another Ethernet node. Like Apple's ARA server software, GatorLink screens network traffic, forwarding across the dial-up lines only those packets addressed to remote users.
>Special security. The GatorLink provides the same basic password protection that ARA has. GatorLink's software also lets an administrator manage GatorLink from a Macintosh and choose which AppleTalk zones dial-in users will see.
Cayman also will provide an optional ARA security service for Ethernet networks where Macs coexist with Unix workstations.
Cayman will provide the option to use Cambridge, Mass.-based Security Dynamics Inc.'s SecurID user authentication system in addition to GatorLink security. GatorLink support for SecurID is $249. With SecurID, users dialing in to a network must enter a personal identification number and an access code that is updated once each minute on an LCD display card. Users also will need to purchase the $5,000 ACE/Server for Unix workstations and the credit-card-size SecurID cards from Security Dynamics (see MacWEEK, Sept. 17, 1991).
Cayman Systems Inc. is at 26 Landsdowne St., Cambridge, Mass. 02139. Phone (617) 494-1999; fax (617) 349-3811.
MacWEEK 08.03.92
Gateways Page 30
(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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Siggraph: Mac morphs with high end
By Erik Holsinger
Chicago - At the Siggraph '92 computer graphics show here last week, hardware and software vendors made a splash with relatively low- cost Mac products for computer animation and video production.
>Gryphon Software Inc. of San Diego announced Morph, a $150 program that lets users transform one image into another, similar to the liquid robot special effects in the film "Terminator II." Images transformed using Morph can be saved as PICT, PICS or QuickTime movies. Compression levels within a Morph QuickTime movie are variable, as is the speed and length of the change.
>Truevision Inc. of Indianapolis announced the release of its VideoMaker+ software. Priced at $295, VideoMaker+ lets NuVista+ videographics card users create a variety of transitions, including wipes, pushes and video-to-graphics cross fades. VideoMaker+ is due to ship at the beginning of September.
>Sony Corp. of America of Park Ridge, N.J., demonstrated the LVR- 3000N Laser VideoDisc Recorder, a $15,500 write-once video recorder that can record up to 48 minutes of component video on one disc. According to Sony, the built-in RGB (red, green, blue) encoder, lack of pre-roll time and RS-422 interface make it well-suited for recording frame-by-frame animation.
>Abekas Video Systems Inc. of Great Neck, N.Y., announced its A-65 digital disc recorder, which comes standard with SCSI and Ethernet interfaces. Shipping in October for $24,900, the A-65 is designed for high-end animation applications and can hold up to 25 seconds of broadcast-quality, digital component video.
>Avid Technology Inc. of Tewksbury, Mass., introduced a new digital editing system (see story, Page 45). Avid also announced an alliance with Apple to incorporate QuickTime into the Open Media Format (OMF). The OMF digital video exchange standard has been proposed by Avid and endorsed by 30 other video, computer and electronics vendors.
>Diaquest Inc. of Berkeley, Calif., announced a new software add-on to its DQ-Animaq animation controller. The new software enables users to do high-quality image compositing by using the alpha channel information to layer an image against a background. Previously, this kind of compositing capability was limited to proprietary video systems, such as the Quantel Harry video-effects system.
>Visual Information Development Inc. of La Puente, Calif., has unbundled the modeling section of its Presenter Professional Program, which is called ModelerPro. Now shipping for $2,495, ModelerPro is aimed at designers who are using a separate rendering program but need to use the beveling, cross-sectional modeling and extrusion capabilities of Presenter Professional.
GA Page 42
MacWEEK 08.03.92
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Outsourcing fills in the gaps
Belts are tightening all over corporate America, and IS managers are hardly immune. What are managers doing to maintain efficient operations and keep pace with changing technology in the face of budget constraints? This special section looks at creative strategies to conserve scarce resources. Outsourcing - using outside contractors for inside work such as support and training - is one of those strategies.
By Robert Hollis
Outsourcing - using outside services for special functions such as Mac repair, training and support - is a way of life at A.O. Smith Automotive Products Co. of Milwaukee.
"Like a lot of other companies, we are staffed very lean to be efficient," said Bob Anderson, senior analyst for the company, which manufactures structural automotive parts and other durable goods. Instead of maintaining a repair organization on-site, Anderson said, his company chose North Shore Computers, also of Milwaukee, for all repair work on about 550 Macintoshes. The independent Mac retailer "encounters a much wider set of problems than we would, so they can do a better job in less time," Anderson said.
A.O. Smith also relies on North Shore for Mac training and help in researching the latest high-end products it needs to keep its Mac technology up to date.
Filling in the gaps. A.O. Smith typifies thousands of companies that rely on outsourcing to fill in-house resource gaps, provide independent technical expertise and simply save money. Despite the recession, indeed because of it, the field is booming.
The concept of outsourcing is neither new nor difficult to understand. Reduced to its fundamentals, "outsourcing is turning over that which you can do yourself to someone else," said Nick Houpis, analyst relations manager for Digital Equipment Corp. in Stow, Mass. DEC is a major player in the outsourcing industry, along with such other well- known companies as EDS Corp., IBM Corp., McDonnell Douglas Corp. and Computer Sciences Corp., according to the Gartner Group, a Stamford, Conn., research firm.
IS managers can outsource a wide variety of services depending on the size of their companies, their in-house technical resources and the nature of the business. It is a rare organization that can and does do everything itself.
The most common outsourced function probably is user support, or a "help desk." Other areas include hardware and software installation or upgrading; repair and maintenance; training; and, occasionally, system and network design.
Wholesale outsourcing. Perhaps the ultimate outsourcing arrangement involves turning over an entire part of a company to an outside organization, said industry analyst Seymour Merrin, president of Merrin Information Services of Palo Alto, Calif.
"True outsourcing is calling in a company and saying, 'OK, you're now my MIS department.' It's like ADP (Automatic Data Processing) coming in and doing payroll," he said.
Andersen Consulting recently signed just such a contract with Sun Refining & Marketing Co., said David Deal, an Andersen spokesman in Chicago. The 10-year agreement, worth $200 million, calls for Andersen to take over the petroleum company's IS functions, he said.
"Many companies also outsource their IS departments [to Andersen] while they figure out a new platform," he said. To handle such assignments, the company maintains data-management centers around the world, he said.
A company also may turn to outsourcing for help with new ventures, such as expanding into new markets or rolling out a new product line. DEC is working with Blockbuster Video, the national chain of video stores, in installing computerized point-of-sale terminals in new outlets in a number of countries, Houpis said.
What and when to outsource. Most Mac managers who rely on outsourcing generally have more modest needs than farming out whole divisions of their company, however.
Sally Crabb, manager of PC and office automation at Northrop Corp.'s Aircraft Division in Hawthorne, Calif., said her philosophy is to outsource routine and repetitive tasks.
"Hardware repair is an easily understood, repetitive task, and you don't need to know Northrop well to do it well," Crabb said. The division, which has between 4,000 and 5,000 PCs and 1,000 Macs, chose an outside vendor for maintenance and repair because of budget constraints.
The financial picture. Managers say it's difficult to estimate how much money outsourcing saves because so many factors in an IS operation are difficult to quantify.
A five-year analysis by the Gartner Group of how much companies actually spend on their IS operations reveals some of the hidden costs that are covered by outsourcing agreements.
Only about 18 percent of the costs associated with owning and operating a Mac or other personal computer goes toward hardware and software over its expected five-year life, said Bill Kerwin, vice president of the Gartner Group's PC service. The remaining 82 percent goes for functions such as labor costs, technical support and administration - all areas in which outsourcing vendors offer services.
When not to outsource. There are times when it is not appropriate to outsource, managers caution. For example, companies that outsource an important part of a business run the risk of losing critical skills in-house.
Generally, managers say, if an organization is itself high-tech dependent, it is better off farming out work that requires low-tech skills while developing employee understanding and mastery of the most advanced technology. "If your skills are what is making money, I don't think you'd want to outsource those skills," Crabb said. For example, she said, network and administration skills are valuable commodities, so she keeps those functions in-house.
In addition, some managers said, no one can know their company's needs as well as an in-house person.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. of New York, the nation's second-largest pharmaceuticals manufacturer, tries to keep most of its IS operation in-house, according to Lori Kittner, technical administration manager. The company is large enough to maintain most of its own support services, with the exception of some Mac training that is outsourced to a local vendor.
"I believe very strongly in the theory that when you go outside, the vendors don't know what we do," Kittner said. "We do as much as we can ourselves before we go outside. Training, for example, is easier for us to do because we use the products we know best.
"I call on outside sources for information [such as technical and product assistance], not necessarily to do work," she said.
Developing a relationship. No matter how much or how little outsourcing a company decides on, managers agree that the relationship between the company and its vendor is extremely important. "It's a relationship of trust," A.O. Smith's Anderson said.
There are inevitably occasions, Anderson said, when even the most carefully selected vendors don't work out. Before selecting North Shore, A.O. Smith chose a nationwide company specializing in outsourcing to handle Mac repairs and maintenance.
"We weren't pleased with their repair performance at all," he said. "Their service was abysmal. Worst of all, they didn't follow up their work with calls to our users." In the end, A.O. Smith switched from the big vendor to a smaller, local one.
Anderson said a key reason why the current North Shore outsourcing arrangement works so well is because all the problems that come up are funneled to one individual who has provided consistent high- quality service for the three years that the business relationship has been in place.
"You really do sort of a mating dance" when getting to know your outsourcing partner, DEC's Houpis said. "It's not like signing a service contract for a year. You're really signing on a new part of your business."
Suggestions when considering outsourcing
> Do a thorough analysis of your IS operation. Distinguish your core capabilities from those you think an outsourcing partner might take on.
> When the audit is complete, prepare for the shock when you discover how much money your company actually spends on its IS operation.
> Know your potential outsourcing partner. Examine the vendor's financial health. Keep in mind that when you outsource, your vendor becomes, in effect, part of your company. Remember Businessland.
> Be very specific about what you want. Don't approach an outsourcing vendor with only vague or general ideas.
> Take your time. Don't make lightning deals.
> Prepare to defend the cost of your IS operation to top management once it reviews the audit.
> Make sure top management will support your outsourcing proposal(s) on an ongoing basis.
> Before a contract is signed, get down on paper exactly who is going to do what.
> Don't try to outsource away business problems or poor vendor relations.
> Understand that outsourcing isn't always the best answer. Be willing to say no to a proposal that doesn't fit your business needs.
MacWEEK 08.03.92
Special Report Page 70
(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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Aldus' IntelliDraw makes bold mark in drawing field
Despite some problems, IntelliDraw's innovative features and ease of use make it a good product.
By Philip Bishop
IntelliDraw is a novel new 24-bit-color object-oriented drawing program from Aldus Corp.'s Consumer Division (formerly Silicon Beach Software Inc.) - the first such application ever to be released simultaneously for the Macintosh and Microsoft Windows. While it has some rough edges and the documentation has disturbing gaps, the program has enough innovative tools and time-saving features to make it a natural choice for entry-level and non-professional users. Illustrators, designers and engineers also are likely to be intrigued by some of the tricks it can perform.
Smart tools. While IntelliDraw possesses tools familiar to most drawing programs - rectangle, oval, polygon tools and so forth - it is with several unfamiliar, "smart" tools that IntelliDraw is likely to make its mark. One of these, the Symmetrigon, lets you create mirror images and multisided objects without the need for flipping or duplicating. To create a mirror image of a human form, for example, you simply draw half the person. While you are drawing this on one side of an axis, IntelliDraw is copying your image stroke for stroke on the other side. Aside from cutting in half the work of drawing symmetrical objects, the Symmetrigon is sure to open up new avenues of creative expression. It also can be used to create radial objects with up to 100 sides.
The System 7-savvy IntelliDraw contains several tools for dynamically linking objects. One is the Connectigon, which lets you stitch objects together so they can be moved along the axes at which they are joined. For example, if a simple table were constructed with two squares for the ends and a rectangle for the top, the squares might be drawn with the rectangle tool, but the top could be created with the Connectigon by clicking in succession on the top two corners of each of the ends. The three objects would then be dynamically linked so that you could literally pick up and move one end, creating an entirely new perspective (actually, an entirely new object) while the other end remained fixed. Clearly, many design options can be explored in this fashion.
Another way to link objects in IntelliDraw is through five so-called sticky connectors. These create a dynamic relationship between objects similar to that produced by the Connectigon, but with lines that can have the weight, color and other attributes of lines created with the common line tool. However, connector lines are anything but common. They include lines that will shorten or lengthen as a connected object is moved closer or farther away, and others that produce a right-angled connector. Organization charts are an obvious use of connector lines, since the entire chart becomes a connected yet fluid and editable object. Connector lines also could be used as parts of technical drawings to provide a simple illustration of moving parts.
The Flip Book function is another way IntelliDraw brings motion to 2-D illustration. With it, objects are grouped, yet only one is visible at a time. Double-clicking on a visible object makes it invisible and the next object visible, and so on. For example, an illustration could show a fashion model wearing a cocktail dress. Double-click on the dress and she is wearing a riding outfit. Double-click again and she is wearing an evening gown.
IntelliDraw also provides an Animator tool for creating simple animations. To record an animation you simply move an object, record its position using controls in a floating palette, then move it again, record its new position and so on. You can play back an animation by double-clicking on a button that is automatically attached to each animation you create. The Animator clearly is not intended to produce professional animations but rather to help illustrate a drawing where movement is important, such as the motion of a piston. This it does well, although as animations grow more complex, playback can slow correspondingly, and IntelliDraw offers no support for QuickTime.
Smooth curves. IntelliDraw's implementation of free-form drawing is outstanding. With the PolyShape tool you create objects with straight lines and Bezier curves. Simply double-clicking a corner point turns it into a smooth point, and vice versa........ew points can be added by holding the Command key and dragging an existing point. Simple curves can be edited with a single handle, while for more complex editing two Bezier-style handles can be drawn out of a curve point.
Aligning objects also has never been simpler. While the grids and guides sported by most drawing programs are serviceable, aligning objects with them is still clumsy work. But there is little fiddling with IntelliDraw's "smart" guidelines. This automatic-alignment feature, which is activated by checking Auto Align On in the Links menu, provides feedback based on which of nine alignment regions of an object you select when you drag the object. For example, if you drag an object by the center, you can align it to the center of another object. Exact alignment is indicated when two small crosses on vertical and horizontal guidelines are placed on top of one another.
IntelliDraw's smart alignment feature has one drawback: In complex multiobject drawings, IntelliDraw slows down considerably as it attempts to Auto-Align with everything in sight. The solution is either to group as many objects as possible or turn off Auto-Align.
Another innovative way IntelliDraw lets you align objects is with the Distribution Frame, a non-printing rectangle that continually aligns and distributes the objects it contains as new objects are added, subtracted or edited. Using this function together with IntelliDraw's Number tool, you can link numerical properties to objects - for example, a bar chart that automatically updates its related numerical value whenever you move a bar.
Shortcomings. Text- and type-handling capabilities in IntelliDraw are not as full-featured as those of its competitors. ASCII text can be imported, but there is no text ruler with which to align it. However, text can be flowed to other text boxes, and text boxes can be made to automatically expand to accommodate typed text. For its part, type can be reduced to the path level, which is important for creating logos and type effects. But it can't be bound to a path automatically, which is an important capability for the same reasons.
Also disappointing is the absence of patterns in IntelliDraw, a feature common to every illustration program since the early days of Claris Corp.'s MacDraw. Three color models are supported (though Pantone Matching System colors are not), and plenty of attractive graduated fills are provided. However, we think most users of a general-purpose drawing program would find a simple cross-hatch pattern much more useful than a color blend.
A common requirement in graphic design is to clean up a scanned image prior to adding type and drawing elements, so IntelliDraw's inability to edit bit maps at the pixel level is particularly disappointing.
On a non-drawing note, Aldus Consumer Division's handling of serial numbering for IntelliDraw dumbfounded us: The number appeared only on the bottom of the main box. If, like us, you recycle cardboard, the box could be gone before you get a chance to launch the program. We would urge Aldus Consumer Division to follow its parent company's practice of placing the serial number in several locations, such as the registration card.
Documentation. There are times when IntelliDraw's otherwise capable documentation is disturbingly inadequate. The cursory coverage of several of the program's most novel features - including the Connectigon and the Flip Book - leave users with far too much to figure out for themselves. And as we worked through the four tutorials in the User Manual we were stymied by incorrect information on several occasions. For example, on Page 91 it says "skip directly to the section titled 'Using the Slide Template,' " but no such section exists. The company said it would address these matters.
A 90-minute instructional video should be included with the program by the time you read this (it wasn't available for this review). The program also comes with 5.7 Mbytes of clip media - illustrations, templates and animations -which is very useful for getting a feel for how the program works.
Performance. Like most 24-bit illustration programs, IntelliDraw's screen-refresh rate slows dramatically as drawings grow more complex. To speed up things, you can display only the object outlines, and blends can be dithered. These options are found under the View Settings dialog box in the View menu (something that isn't obvious from reading the reference manual's "Performance Tips" section).
IntelliDraw crashed a few times during testing, producing a Type 15 error on two occasions and nothing the other times. Aldus Consumer Division said it had received one other complaint of a Type 15 crash, which indicates that the program had trouble loading some code. A likely culprit is an extension or control panel, although we weren't able to determine which, if any, was causing the problem.
IntelliDraw supports a wide range of PostScript and non-PostScript output devices. In the Document Setup dialog box you can elect to automatically center an illustration, scale it to fit on one page or tile its pages. IntelliDraw cannot separate color documents, though it can output to an Encapsulated PostScript file that can be separated in another application, such as Adobe Photoshop. The program imports EPS, TIFF, PICT and ASCII files. It can export files in both EPS and PICT formats.
Conclusions. IntelliDraw contains some truly innovative features -including its Symmetrigon, Connectigon and connector tools - which are sure to help users find new ways to give form to their ideas. IntelliDraw's alignment functions, its simple way of working with Bezier points and its intelligent design (such as being able to select all elements in a document with a double-click of the mouse) make it easy and enjoyable to use.
However, for it to stand up to all the tasks likely to come its way, text and type handling need to be improved, patterns must be included, and the program's manuals should be placed in better order.
Who is going to purchase IntelliDraw? For novices and non- professionals, IntelliDraw rates as a very smart buy, especially if purchased at the street price of less than $200. We also think that many professionals will at least want to experiment with some of its innovative features (it seems well-suited for design prototyping). MacDraw Pro, a program IntelliDraw easily outclasses, may be the big loser in the Mac draw-program market. We doubt that IntelliDraw will do much to disturb Deneba Software's Canvas as the top choice of pros needing an object-oriented drawing program, although we hope it will prod Deneba and others to incorporate some of IntelliDraw's smart features into future versions of their products.
Aldus Corp.'s Consumer Division is at 9770 Carroll Center Road, Suite J, San Diego, Calif. 92126-4551. Phone (619) 695-6956; fax (619) 695-7902.
Reviews Page 95
MacWEEK 08.03.92
(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
Don't leave home without it
Judging from the number of PowerBooks in evidence on the show floor, you could be forgiven for surmising that a good portion of the Mac crowd would rather leave home without shoes than their fashionable new high-tech accessory. And who would blame us? After years of compromises and less-than-satisfying solutions, it's nice to finally get our hands on the right stuff.
Not that there isn't room for improvement. Everyone wants more - that's the American way. No doubt Applied Engineering's new telecommunications products represent just a few steps in the journey of maximizing the PowerBook. That's probably why there's so much speculation about the two new PowerBooks that Apple plans to introduce in October.
Without rehashing all the details, it should be noted that both will feature 16-gray-scale display and built-in support for external color displays. In addition, both will come capable of SCSI docking, an extremely useful feature that currently is available only on the languishing PowerBook 100.
Apple finally may have figured out how to deliver a laptop that people actually want to use, but its modems are generally considered a bit flaky. That reputation may be in for an overhaul, however.
The Knife has learned that Apple has chosen the September Seybold gathering in San Francisco to introduce an "all 9,600" (data, fax send and fax receive) internal modem for the PowerBooks. Based on the specs, it should be functionally equivalent to the Global Village Gold modem. (Global Village, by the way, is in the process of upgrading its TelePort series of modems to match its PowerBook series.)
You can print this. Although Apple may have to atone for failings in its modem line, its printers usually generate robust sales. The bubblejet color printer that is scheduled for introduction later this year will be followed next spring by yet another color printer. Next year's offering will be a laser dry-toner system based on the Canon CLC 500 engine.
Hewlett-Packard, which cedes first place to no company when it comes to printers, hasn't been resting on its laurels either. While Apple is busy restructuring its Mac product line in October, HP will be introducing the successor to the DeskWriter C color inkjet printer. The new device will offer the same 300-dpi resolution as the current model, but unlike the DeskWriter C, which can produce CMY only, the new model will produce CMYK output.
This small technological feat is made possible by the use of two ink cartridges. The retail price is expected to be $1,095, which is unchanged from the DeskWriter C.
Mo' color. If you find yourself near the SuperMac booth, have a little fun and quiz anyone in sight about the new color dye-sublimation printers SuperMac is planning to introduce in November. At least one model is expected to retail for less than $10,000.
With these printers, SuperMac will join RasterOps and Tektronix in what surely will be one of the hot niche markets for the foreseeable future.
1-2-3 Version 1.2. Lotus 1-2-3/Mac users may be interested to learn that Lotus Development is ready to ship betas of Version 1.2 to testers and, in fact, may have done so by the time you read this. Sources say that the feature list includes QuickTime support and a fill down/fill right capability surprisingly similar to the Excel 4.0 auto-fill feature. Some members of the development team are so jazzed about the project that they are arguing in favor of piling on even more new features and naming the new version 2.0.
The MacWEEK mug might not be the same as Olympic gold, but look at it this way: Your odds of owning one are much better. If you have the special talent it takes, contact the Knife at (415) 243-3500, fax (415) 243-3650, MCI (MactheKnife), AppleLink (MacWEEK) and CompuServe/ZiffNet/Mac.
MacWEEK 08.03.92
Mac the Knife Page 196
(c) Copyright 1992 Coastal Associates, L.P. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
