MACINTOSH VS. WINDOWS 95 #1 August 10, 1995 #1: ADVANTAGES MACINTOSH ADVANTAGES QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? BUSINESS CHANGES It's clear that the hype for Windows 95 got out of hand....We take our share of responsibility for creating unreasonable expectations. --Brad Silverberg, Microsoft Senior Vice President for Personal Systems Apple agrees with Mr. Silverberg. Windows 95 is a major upgrade to Windows 3.1, and it will undoubtedly sell well because of Microsoft's large installed base. But the product has been relentlessly overhyped. One particular area of inflated expectations has been the idea that a PC with Windows 95 is the equivalent of a Macintosh computer. It's just not so. A Macintosh is a complete computer system, including hardware and software designed to work together. It's the only personal computer system designed that way. Apple uses that advantage to drive forward the features and functionality of the Macintosh, giving it new capabilities long before the PC, and making those features easy to use. Because hardware and software in the IBM-compatible world are designed separately, it's very common for people comparing a Macintosh to a PC with Windows to focus only on operating system features. That's very misleading. People use complete computer systems, not just hardware or software alone. To compare computer systems accurately, you have to look at the overall features of both hardware and software, and especially at how those features work together. Buying a computer by looking only at its operating system is like buying a horse by looking only at its head. When you look at overall system features, Apple thinks it's clear that a Macintosh is a more advanced, more useful computer than a PC with Windows. As Microsoft works to implement features that Apple pioneered in the 1980s, Apple is moving on to the next generation of personal computing. In particular, the Mac has major advantages in four areas: The Mac is more powerful, It's easier to use, It has much more advanced multimedia, and It's compatible. MACINTOSH ADVANTAGES More powerful. The advanced RISC chips in Apple's Power Macintosh computers continue to give them as much as a 50% advantage in performance -- even more in areas such as multimedia, simulations, and 3D graphics, which many people see as the next frontier of personal computing. Easier to use. Macintosh is well known as the leader in this area. Although Windows 95 makes a PC look more like a Macintosh, it doesn't always work like one. The Mac is still a lot easier to use, easier to network, and easier to configure. More advanced multimedia. While Windows celebrates its ability to play CDs, Macintosh is moving ahead to the next generation of multimedia, including speech synthesis and recognition, advanced graphics, video integration, and virtual reality. Compatible. It may seem strange to list this as a Macintosh advantage, but it's an area in which Apple has made a big commitment. Mac systems today can read and write to PC disks, and there are a wide range of compatibility options that let Mac computers run DOS and Windows software, ranging from the SoftWindows software emulator to hardware compatibility cards made by Apple and third parties. The most compatible mainstream personal computer on the market today is not a PC, but a DOS-compatible Power Macintosh. In the 1980s, Macintosh led in the implementation of graphical user interfaces and desktop publishing. In the 1990s, Macintosh leads in the implementation of the next generation of features, including multimedia and RISC computing. The constant throughout is the Mac computer's role as the functionality leader in personal computing. BUSINESS CHANGES In addition to moving ahead on features, Apple is also fundamentally reshaping its business model to make people feel more comfortable investing in the Macintosh platform. Macintosh pricing is coming down, aggressively. Mac OS-compatible computers have been licensed for the first time. And Apple has entered into open alliances with IBM and Motorola for the PowerPC chip; and with Novell, IBM, Adobe, and a host of other companies for OpenDoc software. Another area in which Apple is focused on improving is marketing. Explaining the unique benefits of a Macintosh, and the elements of the Macintosh strategy, is Apple's top marketing priority. This document is just one example of that commitment. All these changes, taken together, mark a profound improvement in Macintosh as a product and as a business. We think they make a Mac a much more attractive computer for homes, schools, and businesses. In the next few days, we'll be sharing more details on the Macintosh advantages, and what they mean to computer users. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? You can send e-mail to the Mac Platform Marketing team at competition@applelink.apple.com. (c) Copyright 1995, Apple Computer. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple Logo, Macintosh and Power Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the US and other jurisdictions. Mac is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.. PowerPC is a trademark of IBM used under license. .