Apple has rejected the current PowerPC 603 chip for use in future low-end
Macintoshes and PowerBooks and has sent IBM and Motorola back to the drawing board. Sources have reported that because of the 603’s smaller on-board cache, older Macintosh software running in 680x0 emulation barely outperforms a Macintosh Classic II. This creates a signif- icant problem because many software titles have not yet been ported to native PowerPC code. (Even System 7.5, due this summer, will still contain much non-native code which must be run in emulation)
IBM and Motorola are now working on the PowerPC 603+, which uses the same amount of on-board cache as the 601 and utilizes a faster implementation of the 603 architecture, allowing the chip to achieve speeds of 120MHz or greater. (Apple’s original plan called for the use of 50MHz and 66MHz 603 chips to be used in future notebook systems.) While this may push back a winter release of PowerPC PowerBooks, Apple maintains that such machines will be available the first half of 1995. Should 603+ development be delayed, a lower-power (and cheaper) PowerPC 601 chip could drive both entry-level Macs and PowerBooks.
 
Apple Computer officially opened the doors of its new online service on Monday, June 20th. Entitled e•World, the service utilizes a graphic metaphor of a ‘downtown’ for navigational purposes. (i.e., if you wanted to look up some reference articles, you would first click on the Library building.)
e•World faces much competition in an industry already crowed by such giants as Compuserve and America Online, both of which serve the Macintosh and PC communities. As e•World is strictly a Macintosh online service (for the time being), Apple cannot count on capturing any of the much larger PC market share.
Apple is hoping that by shipping all new Macintoshes with e•World connection software it can ensure a majority of new users will choose e•World as their online service of choice. In addition, Apple will be merging the much-maligned AppleLink and its NewtonMail service with e•World, broadening the user base.
e•World's basic fee is $8.95 (US.) a month, with two free hours of usage. Additional time is $4.95 (US.) per hour, with surcharges for usage during peak periods.
e•World is expected to be operational in Canada within a few months. As with most major online services available in Canada, it is expected that users will have to pay a pricey telecommuni-
cations surcharge of approximately 20¢ per minute to connect to e•World, in addition to a regular hourly rate.
