Apple Expands Communication Capabilities   



Author: from AppleLink

Date: March, 1987

Keywords: lasershare file transfer DCA announcement release

Text:
     San Francisco, California. January 29, 1987. Apple Computer, Inc.
today introduced communications products that expand the Apple
Macintosh personal computer concept into workgroups and integrate and
enhance information from other computing environments.   Chairman and
CEO John Sculley, delivering the keynote address at The Seybold
Communications Conference here, said that Apple's strategy is to
provide superior solutions to users based on innovative technology and
to continue to integrate the Macintosh product family into multi-vendor
environments.   
     ''Apple's communications framework is built around a set of
architectural building blocks,'' Sculley said.  ''These building blocks
incorporate a consistent set of rules that let Apple and third parties
develop a wide range of innovative, but consistent applications in
multiple computing environments.  Only a coherent framework like
this,'' he emphasized, ''can provide the functionality, flexibility and
growth path users need while providing a level of transparency and
consistency across applications.''   To facilitate the sharing of
information in groups, Apple introduced the AppleShare file server
software which lets workgroups-whether small companies, departments in
larger companies, or students and faculty in higher education -share
information easily.  The server software is configured with a dedicated
Macintosh Plus personal computer and a hard disk and is as easy to use
as the Macintosh itself.  A half-sized printed circuit card, called the
AppleTalk PC Card, was also introduced that permits MS-DOS personal
computers to share information on the Apple network and access Apple's
LaserWriter printer for typeset-quality printing of text and graphics. 
A new LaserShare Print Spooler offloads the LaserWriter printing queue
to a server.   In addition, Apple introduced two software utilities-the
 AppleLine 3270 File Transfer, a program for transferring files between
the IBM 3270 mainframe environment and Macintosh via Apple's 3270
protocol converter AppleLine, and the Apple DCA (Document Content
Architecture)  Filter, a utility that translates documents from popular
MS-DOS word processing applications to and from MacWrite, Apple's
popular word processing software for the Macintosh computer  family.  
Apple believes that there are five desktop communications problems
users face They need to share information in groups, integrate and
enhance MS-DOS infomation, integrate and enhance company information
from large computers, access information services in a timely way and
let multiple users manage transactional data.  Apple and third-party
products offer solutions for all five of these problems.   
     Macintosh technology-manifested by ease of use, graphics and
unique functionality-features a very high level of software consistency
and tight integration across all applications, resulting in low
requirements for user support and training.  These attributes have
contributed to the widespread acceptance of the Macintosh personal
computer family among business of all sizes as well as to the increased
momentum by third-party developers over the past year.   There are
currently over 250,000 AppleTalk devices operating in an estimated
50,000 networks worldwide.  Nearly one million Macintosh computers
handle business, education and consumer applications worldwide. 

Copyright © march, 1987 by from AppleLink