Starting this spring, Apple will bring PCI to its consumer Power Macs with the debut of five new systems: two modular, two all-in-one, and the first tower-style Performa.
Three of the machines -- code-named Instatower, Elixir and Chimera -- will reportedly share a logic board sporting either a 100- or 120-MHz PowerPC 603e processor. The other two, code-named Camelot and Excalibur, will come with either a 75- or 90-MHz PowerPC 603 processor, sources said.
A new tower design
Instatower, Apple's first tower-style CPU aimed at the consumer market, will contain three PCI slots. The CPU's new enclosure places connectors on top, rather than in back, of the case, providing easier access to cables and allowing the machine to be placed closer to a wall. An Instatower system with 8 Mbytes of RAM, a 1.2-Gbyte Enhanced IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) hard drive, quadruple-speed CD-ROM drive and a 15-inch monitor is expected to cost less than $2,000, sources said.
Instatower's RAM will be expandable to 136 Mbytes; it will also include an optional Level 2 cache; a Performa 630-style communications slot; two 5.25-inch expansion bays; 1 Mbyte of dynamic RAM for video; an infrared receiver for remote-control functions; and SCSI, ADB and GeoPort connectors.
Sources said Instatower would arrive in Europe and Asia in the second quarter of 1996, making its way into the hands of U.S. customers in the fall.
PCI Performas
One of Apple's tonics for the power-seeking consumer is Elixir, a modular CPU that will reportedly replace both the 75-MHz 603-based 6200 series and the 100-MHz 603e-based 6300. The main difference between the new system and the 6300 is the PCI slot and the accompanying architecture first introduced on last summer's Power Mac 7200, 7500, 8500 and 9500 machines. The units will be available as Performa models in the consumer market and as LC models for the education market.
Elixir, whose case resembles a Quadra 630, will come with 1 Mbyte of dynamic RAM for multisync video display; its on-board video-out will support resolutions up to 640 by 480 pixels in 16-bit color and 1,024 by 768 pixels in eight-bit color, sources said.
The all-in-one Chimera (the monster of Greek myth that had a lion's head, goat's body and serpent's tail) will replace the 75-MHz PowerPC 603-based 5200 series. Sources said Apple's newest all-in-one computers might be available only in the education market, at least to start.
Like its ancestor, the 5200, Chimera will include a built-in 15-inch shadow mask monitor with a 0.28mm dot pitch, sources said. It will display images at 640 by 480 pixels and 800 by 600 pixels in 16-bit color. Set on a tilt-and-swivel base, Chimera is also expected to have two integrated speakers and a microphone.
Expected in the second quarter of 1996, both Elixir and Chimera will reportedly include 8 Mbytes of RAM, expandable to 136 Mbytes; 1-Gbyte and larger Enhanced IDE hard drives; quadruple-speed CD-ROM drives; and slots for video-in, communications and TV/FM stereo tuner cards. Instatower, Elixir and Chimera will all include support for 16-bit sound-in and sound-out and soft power on-off from the keyboard.
Final pricing has not been set, but projected prices range from $1,450 for a base 100-MHz modular Elixir to $2,500 for a 120-MHz all-in-one Chimera with extra RAM, TV and video-in cards and other add-ons.
Some LC and Performa models will bundle the Apple Video/TV System and the Apple Presentation System, which let users watch TV on their Macs, capture video and display presentations on a TV monitor. One Elixir model will come with 256 Kbytes of Level 2 cache standard. Other configurations may include the 100-MHz Intel 486-based DOS Compatibility Card and either a 14.4- or 28.8-Kbps fax modem.
Low-cost Power Macs
Rounding out the low end of Apple's new offerings are two CPUs code-named Camelot and Excalibur, which share a logic board with either a 75- or 90-MHz PowerPC 603 processor, one 7-inch PCI slot, 8 Mbytes of built-in RAM, an 800-Mbyte IDE hard drive, and a quadruple-speed CD-ROM drive. A base modular Camelot system will cost around $1,300, and a similar all-in-one Excalibur system will cost around $1,625.
Slated for release this fall, the Quadra 630-style Camelot system will reportedly replace the Quadra 630 and Power Mac 6200; Excalibur will replace the all-in-one, 68040-based LC 475, 575 and 580.
Excalibur's enclosure will be similar to that of the 5200, but its logic board will include a PCI slot rather than a processor direct slot. Built into Excalibur's case will be a 15-inch shadow mask display with a 0.28mm dot pitch; the 1 Mbyte of built-in video memory will support 16-bit color.
Designed to be the lowest-cost modular and all-in-one Power Macs, Camelot and Excalibur will support up to 64 Mbytes of RAM and have a communications slot for an Ethernet card or fax modem. Both Camelot and Excalibur will support video-in and TV tuner cards, but according to sources, they will only be available as add-ons. Camelot and Excalibur will not include Level 2 caches; users will need to purchase these options separately.
Apple declined to comment.
Apple's consumer lineup
CPU Processor Style Price+
Instatower* 100- or 120-MHz 603e Tower $2,000
Elixir 100- or 120-MHz 603e Modular $1,450
Chimera* 100- or 120-MHz 603e All-in-one $1,800
Camelot 75- or 90-MHz 603 Modular $1,300
Excalibur* 75- or 90-MHz 603 All-in-one $1,625
* Price includes 15-inch monitor.
+ All prices are for a machine with 8 Mbytes of RAM, an
800-Mbyte or 1.2-Gbyte hard drive, and a quadruple-speed CD-ROM
