Question:
Any comments on the Microsoft announcement to create a 100 person team devoted to the Macintosh
Jack Ranieri -- Etobicoke -- 1997/01/08 14:54
Answer:
Microsoft has always been a strong supporter of the Macintosh platform and one of our key developers. We believe that the
dedication of this significant team to our platform reflects Microsoft's confidence in Apple's future.
Question:
How will Apple Canada's business operations be handled with respect to those of its US counterpart? Does Gil Amelio see
Canada as an important market?
Claudiu Popa -- Toronto -- 1997/01/08 14:42
Answer:
Apple Canada was the first subsidiary of Apple established outside of the United States. Well over a year ago, we shipped
our one millionth Apple computer in Canada. Dr. Amelio recently visited us and reinforced the importance of the Canadian
marketplace to Apple. With respect to our business operations, over the past year, we were aligned with the U.S. and Latin
American organizations to form the Apple Americas region. With this alignment, Apple Canada remains a fully functioning
subsidiary which can leverage off of the appropriate resources that are available from the U.S. parent.
Question:
Is Apple focusing on the international market as hard as it is working on doing business on this continent?
Claudiu Popa -- Toronto -- 1997/01/08 14:47
Answer:
Apple is committed to being a global company. We have operations today that literally span the globe. In point of fact, over
the past few years, the international operations have been contributing approximately half of Apple's sales. We are dedicated
to building this business. A great example of this dedication is right here in Canada. We have traditionally made the
investment of "localizing" the Macintosh for the French Canadian marketplace and intend to continue to so for these
important customers.
Question:
What are Apple's plans to get over the recent expected loss of $150 million?
Mike -- Whitby -- 1997/01/08 14:02
Answer:
When Dr. Amelio assumed the leadership of the company in February 1996, he stated that we did not expect to return to "the
black" until, at the earliest, March 1997. As Dr. Amelio stated at MacWorld yesterday, we are in the first year of a three year
recovery plan. We feel that the strategies upon which the recovery plan is based are appropriate and we plan to continue
implementing them.
Question:
Is Apple shifting away from a company who's profits come from the sale of its hardware to that of a company from which
profits will be (mostly) software driven?
Elliott Gilham -- -- 1997/01/08 13:31
Answer:
Apple has always been and will continue to be a systems company. The strength of the Macintosh platform comes from the
development and integration of both the hardware and the software. Newton technology is another great example of this.
Question:
Does Canada have any plans to open an "Apple Merchandise" store like the one in the USA?
Eric -- Kingston -- 1997/01/08 14:05
Answer:
Apple Canada is currently examining this opportunity. We do not have an announcement at this time.
Question:
What will the benefit of the OS strategy be to Apple customers?
Moderator -- Toronto -- 1997/01/08 13:27
Answer:
Apple believes that its OS strategy provides clear differentiation from its system software competitors in four areas: 1.
Smooth transition: Firstly, Apple's OS strategy allows both Mac OS and Rhapsody to share a similar look and feel and
provide compatibility with existing Mac OS applications and hardware - giving customers and software developers a smooth
upgrade path to next generation technology. Exxisiting Mac OS software is expected to work within Rhapsody at PowerPC
speeds. Additionally it is planned that Rhapsody will support today's currently shipping Mac OS personal computers, as
well as future Mac OS hardware. 2. Advanced Operating System: Secondly, Rhapsody is expected to provide customers and
software developers with a robust, easy to use OS that delivers features such as preemptive multitasking, symmetric
multiprocessing and protected memory, based on a modern kernel. 3. Multimedia Leadership: Thirdly, Apple's OS strategy
will allow the company to continue to lead the marekt in multimdeida innovation. Apple intends to optimize its QuickTime
Media Layer (QTML) for both Mac OS and Rhapsody moving forward, providing all Apple customers with multimedia
leadership through the millenium. 4. Superior Internet Integration: Apple plans to carry forward key technolgies such as
OpenDoc, Met Content Format (MCF) and easy to use TCP/IP connectiviity to maintain the Macintosh as a leading system
for Internet access and the delivery of Internet content.
Question:
Does Apple Canada have any plans to help Mac users to get high-speed Internet connection? Also, any plans to publish a
newsletter to send to Apple customers? This would keep Mac users up to date with Canada-specific information.
Raymond Kam -- Vancouver, B.C. -- 1997/01/08 11:36
Answer:
Apple provides open transport PPP at no charge at FTP.info.apple.com. This software supports full ISDN transfer. One of
the most meaningful ways that we feel we can keep our customers up-to-date is through our web sites. The address for the
Canadian web site is: http://www.apple.ca. This has Canadian-specific information on it and it is linked to other global
Apple sites.
Question:
(Recently) I watched Apple Canada's "Bringing Learning Home" infomercial. It was excellent at getting across the the "Mac
Advantage." .... Does Apple expect to get a return in the corporate marketplace from its investment in the educational
marketplace? In other words, does it expect a significant number of former Mac students to be in corporate decision making
positions?
Danny Higashi -- Toronto -- 1997/01/08 11:54
Answer:
Glad you liked the infomercial! In fact, we have seen for many years now, students graduating through the school system
and then on into the working world where they have requested the use of Macintosh technology because of their familiarity
and their love of it.
Question:
Exactly what role will Steve Jobs play at the new Apple?
Mike -- Whitby, Ont. -- 1997/01/08 11:38
Answer:
As part of the NeXT agreement, Steve Jobs, Chairman and CEO of NeXT Software, will return to Apple - the company he
co-founded in 1976 - reporting to Dr. Gil Amelio, Apple's Chairman and CEO. As one of the industry's premiere
visionaries, Steve will help to define Apple's future product directions.
Question:
What is the Mac OS strategy?
Moderator -- Toronto -- 1997/01/08 13:48
Answer:
Apple plans to implement a strategy in which the company will continue to deliver significant and regularly scheduled
upgrades to the current Mac OS while accelerating development of a new and advanced opertating system. The new
operating system is code-named "Rhapsody" and will be based on the merging of technologies from Apple and NeXT
Software Inc. As well as providing pioneering next generation technology, Rhapsody aims to provide strong backward
compatibility for Mac OS software offering current customers a smooth migration path to the new OS.
Question:
What is the NeXT deal?
Moderator -- Toronto -- 1997/01/08 13:25
Answer:
A few weeks ago, Apple announced its intention to purchase NeXT Software Inc., in a friendly acquisition for $400 million.
Pending regulatory approvals, all NeXT products, services and technology research will become part of Apple Computer
Inc. The acqueisiton will bring together Apple's and NeXT's innovative and complementary technology portfolios and
significantly strenghtens Apple's position as a company advancing industry standards. Apple's leadership in ease-of-use and
multimedia solutions will be married to NeXT's strengths in development software and operating environments for both the
enterprise and Internet markets. NeXT's object oriented software development products will contribute to Apple's goal of
creating a differentiated and profitable software business, with a wide range of products for enterprise, business, education,
and home markets.
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