Mid-way through March, Apple disclosed that its Power Macintosh
series computers were selling faster than the company could manu-
facture them. At the introduction of the Power Macintosh in March
of 1994, Apple forecasted selling a million units within one year—a
goal which was realized three months early, in December of 1994.
Soaring demand and short supply are reportedly compromising Apple’s
revenues, and some analysts are questioning Apple’s ability to forecast demand. Nevertheless, Apple’s success with the Power Macintosh is undisputed—and soaring demand is certainly welcome.
  
In conjunction with its release of System 7.5 Update
1.0, Apple also offers the following software updates:
 
This latest version of the LaserWriter driver corrects a number
of bugs in the previous version (8.2) and sports a more automated
LaserWriter set-up sequence.
 
After briefly introducing QuickDraw GX 1.1, Apple immediately withdrew it and replaced it with version 1.1.1 (which fixed a cosmetic detail in the 1.1 update). QuickDraw GX 1.1.1 is a 4-disk set that offers performance and interface improvements, as well as better font handling. The new version includes Adobe Type Manager 3.8.2.
 
Apple has released a new Network Software Installer which updates AppleShare and Ethernet file transfer capabilities. An added benefit is that the method of installation will now be to simply drop an extension in the System Folder’s Extensions folder, rather than modifying the System file (as in previous versions). Apple recommends all users upgrade to the new version—particularly those using the new System 7.5.1. Network Software Installer 1.5 ships as a single high-density disk image.
For information on where to get Apple software updates, please see “First Look: System 7.5 Update 1.0” in this issue.
  
Apple recently cut the pricing of its Quadra 630 and Performa 630
series by 20%. The US. ApplePrice for the Quadra 630 is now $1,039
(down from $1,129), and the Performa 630 ApplePrice now varies
between $1,199 and $2,049.
In conjunction with these price cuts, Apple announced that the base level configurations of its PowerBook 520 and 520c would now ship with larger, 240MB hard drives (up from 160 MB), at no additional cost.
  
Though the scheduled February release date came and went, we have it on
good authority that Apple should be shipping the Apple Telecom 2.0 soft-
ware within the next few weeks. When bundled with GeoPort Telecom
Adapter Kit, the Telecom 2.0 software offers an all-in-one solution that
provides intelligent, full-duplex speaker phone capabilities; a single source
of voice messages, fax and email; and a high speed (14,400 bps) send and
receive fax modem. The GeoPort Telecom Adapter Kit comes with a free 30-day trial of call logging, PowerDial Dialing Manager, and other extended capabilities such as a digital an- swering machine. The Telecom 2.0 software will ship with new GeoPort Telecom Adapters and will be available via online services.
 
The Apple LocalTalk Bridge is designed to allow Macintosh computers, printers or Newton MessagePad personal digital assistants (which are connected on a LocalTalk network) to connect to other computers and services on Ethernet or Token Ring networks without the hassle of manually switching network connections. The Apple LocalTalk Bridge is now available for the ApplePrice of $99 in the US. (Pricing and availability may vary outside the US.) For more information on the LocalTalk Bridge, contact the Apple Network Information Line at (408) 862-3385.
