Apple Unveils High-Performance CD-ROM Drive

CUPERTINO, California--October 7, 1992--To further enhance the multimedia
capabilities of it's Macintosh computer family, Apple Computer, Inc. today
introduced a new CD-ROM drive, the new AppleCD 300. Available in both
external and internal versions, the CD 300 is two times faster than most
CD-ROM drives, has a choice of operating speeds, and supports new CD-ROM
formats, including Kodak Photo CD. Taken together, these features make the
CD 300 the highest performance, most feature-rich Macintosh CD-ROM drive
on the market today.

"Nearly 10% of all Macintosh users have purchased CD-ROM drives. We believe
the interactive CD technology that's on the horizon will create even more
demand," said Eric Harslem, vice president of desktop computing, Macintosh
hardware division. "But these new technologies require a high performance
drive. The CD 300 has the speed and power users want today and the
built-in capability to support the very exciting titles that we anticipate
in the future."

The AppleCD 300 is designed to transfer data up to twice as fast as most
CD-ROM drives and is equipped with a large 256K data buffer. This kind of
superior performance allows users to efficiently access very large files,
such as high-quality video and animation faster than is currently
possible.

The AppleCD 300 has a unique speed select switch that allows the user to
choose either single- or double-speed mode. This feature is designed to
give users compatibility with the widest range of available CD titles.

The CD 300 can also read multi-session Kodak Photo CD discs, a feature not
found on most CD-ROM drives. A Photo CD image is a digitized version of a
35 MM photograph that a user can open and view on the Macintosh computer
screen. A multi-session Photo CD disc allows additional photographic
images to be added to images already on it. With the AppleCD 300 and a
Macintosh computer running Apple Computer's QuickTime multimedia
architecture, a user can easily access these high-quality images, copy and
save them, cut and paste into documents, and also edit them using
Macintosh graphics applications.

The CD 300 also supports several new CD formats, including CD+G and
CD+MIDI. These new formats allow CD developers to better integrate audio,
text and graphics. The CD+MIDI format, for example, will allow
professional and amateur musicians to more easily use MIDI-synthesized
music in a CD title. Apple believes its support for these new formats will
spur development of titles and in turn provide customers with richer and
more diverse CD-ROM titles.

To introduce new CD 300 users to the array of information available on CD,
Apple will ship a collection of 8 to 10 CD-ROM titles with the drive.
These will include: Alice to Ocean, by Rick Smolan; Mozart: String Quartet
in C Major, by The Voyager Company; Cinderella, by Discis Knowledge
Research; Nautilus, by Metatec/Discovery Systems; Photo CD Sampler, by
Eastman Kodak Company, and The Chronicles and Collections CD, by Apple.

An internal version, called the CD 300i, will also be available as a
dealer-installable option for Macintosh computers with an available
5.25-in. drive bay. A separate CPU installation kit will be required. A
new version of CD-Setup software (version 4.0.1) ships with the CD 300 and
all internal upgrade kits. It also supports all other CD-ROM drives from
Apple.

Apple will continue to market the AppleCD 150 for users who want a
cost-effective method of accessing CD titles but don't need all of the
features of the CD 300.

Pricing, Availability and Distribution 

The AppleCD 300 will be available in December 1992 and the 300i Internal
Drive Upgrade Kit will be available in January 1993 through authorized
Apple resellers. All AppleCD 300 drives carry a one year limited warranty.
Pricing, availability and distribution will vary by country.

Product                                   MSRP      Availability
---------------------------------        -------    -------------
AppleCD 300                              $599.00    December 1992
AppleCD 300i Internal Upgrade Kit         499.00    January  1993
(Includes installation kit)

Apple Computer Inc, 20525 Mariana Ave, Cupertino, CA 95014
408-996-1010

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