09/08/97 NOTHING BUT NET AT APPLE

NOTHING BUT NET AT APPLE

STEVE JOBS WASTED no time pruning Apple Computer's product line since taking control in early July. But the company's co-founder, insiders say, is also working on brand-new products that he hopes will play a major role in Apple's future growth: network computers.
Unlike personal computers, NCs store programs and data on a central server. They are designed to be less expensive than PCs, with the proposed Apple models to run between $500 to $1,000. While many doubt the Apple NC's potential in corporate markets, it could be perfect for cost-conscious educators anxious to comply with President Clinton's call for a 1:3 computer-student ratio by 2000. And NCs are also perfect for Apple, intent on protecting and even increasing its dominant 54% share of the K-through-12 market.
Company sources say the NCs will run programs based on the Java programming language--either on top of the MacOS found on today's Macs, or without a conventional operating system. Some of these devices could appear in early 1998.
But which Java standard will Apple adopt? While the company has worked with Java inventor Sun Microsystems for over a year, it's now working more closely with Microsoft to support its version.
By Peter Burrows
EDITED BY PAT WECHSLER