Steve Jobs October 14 Event

October 14, 1998

If there were still any lingering doubts that Apple is back with a vengeance, they were finally laid to rest today at the Flint Center in Cupertino.

In all, revenues for the past year totaled US$6 billion. Q4 earnings amounted to US$106 million, bringing total earnings for the past four quarters to US$309 million.

834,000 units were shipped this last quarter, a 28% increase over the previous quarter. And Apple's inventory levels bested those of Dell in the last quarter.

iMac Sales Figures
The sales figures have come in for the first 42 days from Aug 15 to Sep 25. During this period, Apple sold 278,000 iMacs to customers in North America, Europe, and Japan. (Australia and New Zealand are probably somewhere in those figures as well.)

First-time buyers accounted for 29.4%, while Wintel converts accounted for 12.5%, making a total of 41.9% of iMac customers who had never previously owned a Mac.

Existing Mac users who bought iMacs: 58.1%, which was equally divided between those who bought an iMac to replace their existing Mac, and those who bought an iMac as an addition.

So in effect, about 70.9% of iMacs sold (41.9% first-time buyers, and 29% existing Mac users) constitute an addition to the installed base.

New Distribution Channels
In addition to CompUSA, Apple will have another nationwide reseller in Best Buy starting from Nov 8. iMacs also go on sale through the Apple Online Store from today (October 14).

Ten Reasons to get Mac OS 8.5

#1: Sherlock
Jobs announced that Sherlock's search capabilities could be extended through the use of plug-ins, which is expected to proliferate in the future. (Already, at least one such site is creating these plug-ins for Sherlock.)

#2: File Copying
Beats the pants off Windows NT in another bake-off.

#3: AppleScript
Fully PPC-native in Mac OS 8.5, and 5 times faster than before. Almost everything in Mac OS 8.5, including the Finder, is scriptable. Applescripts can now be attached to folders, and will automatically act on files dropped into these folders.

#4: ColorSync

#5: QuickTime 3 Pro - The US$29.95 full-blown Pro version of QuickTime 3 comes free with Mac OS 8.5.

#6: Automatic clock setting - Previously possible only through third-party extensions or control panels such as Network Time, this is now built into the Mac OS.

#7: Smart Scrolling
Proportionally-sized scroll bars now indicate more clearly the length of a document, while bidirectional arrows at the bottom and right corners of windows help improve navigation.

#8: Aliases to URLs, Email Addresses
URLs and email addresses can now be dragged onto the desktop, and when clicked, will either open the website in a browser or an email application accordingly.

#9: The Euro
Mac OS 8.5 recognizes the common European denomination that will become official on Jan 1, 1999.

#10: Fast Installations
Mac OS 8.5 installs in under 15 minutes, and dispenses with the need to hit multiple 'okay' buttons.

Price Issues
Although Mac OS 8.5 retails for US$99, you only pay $19.95 if you have bought a Mac in the last 30 days, or if you have bought an iMac.

October 17 Worldwide Release
Mac OS 8.5 goes on sale from October 17 in a worldwide release. It will initially be distributed in 8 major languages, with another 30 more languages to be added on later on.

Commemorative Book
To commemorate the year-long 'Think Different' ad campaign, Jobs announced the launch of a commemorative book which was offered to all who attended today's event in Flint Center, Cupertino. The event ended with a montage of the 'Think Different' ad series.

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