Latest Mac Os Update Improves Sherlock, System Stability, Powerbook Battery Life

EDP Weekly's IT Monitor, May 17, 1999

Apple Also Intros New Notebooks, Mac Version Of OpenGL, Dragon Speech Recognition For Mac

At its annual Worldwide Developer Conference last week, Apple Computer Inc. introduced Mac OS 8.6, an update to the Macintosh operating system that provides an easier to use and more powerful Sherlock search feature; increases system stability; and delivers significantly improved battery life for PowerBook users. The free update for Mac OS 8.5 customers and can be downloaded from www.apple.com/macos.

"Mac OS 8.5 has been a hit with Mac customers all over the world and Sherlock has changed the way people access information on the Internet," says Phil Schiller, Apple's vice president of worldwide product marketing. "Mac OS 8.6 builds upon this great foundation and is packed with new features that will benefit millions of Macintosh customers, whether they have an iMac, PowerBook or Power Macintosh."

Key new features in Mac OS 8.6 include:

* Updated version of Sherlock -- the popular personal search detective introduced in Mac OS 8.5 -- with over 25 plug-ins that allow fast searches of popular web sites such as CNN Interactive, CNET, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Music Boulevard and Rolling Stone, in addition to Internet search engines such as Alta Vista, Excite, HotBot, Infoseek and Lycos. Sherlock's "find by content" feature now includes the ability to search the content of PDF and HTML files stored on hard drives.

* Advanced power manager technologies that increase battery life by more than one hour on PowerBook computers.

* Support for many Nokia or Ericsson IRDA-capable mobile phones, allowing PowerBook users to check email or access the Internet through their mobile phone (requires a compatible PowerBook, phone and service provider).

* Improved USB and FireWire integration, providing better plug and play and support for the latest USB and FireWire peripherals.

* Support for DVD-RAM disks, allowing users to store and share information using the emerging high-capacity format.

* Enhanced game support through integration of Apple's Game Sprockets technology, the basis for many popular Mac games.

* Mac OS Runtime for Java (MRJ) 2.1.1, the latest version of Apple Java Virtual Machine, running Java software up to five times faster and with support for JDK 1.1.7.

* AppleScript 1.3.7, supporting scriptable access to the Internet so Mac users can upload and download content and data within automated workflows; also adds the ability to schedule AppleScripts so they can run when the computer is unmanned.

* ColorSync 2.6.1, enhancing publishing automation through improved AppleScript integration, easy configuration of ColorSync profiles and CMM selections, and support for JPEG and GIF files.

* Mac OS 8.5 users can download Mac OS 8.6 free at www.apple.com/macos or order it on CD-ROM for $19.95.

Apple also announced a new line of PowerBook notebooks last week with PowerPC G3 processors running up to 400MHz. The new PowerBook line is almost 20 percent thinner and, at 5.9 pounds in weight, nearly two pounds lighter than their popular predecessors.

Apple also announced shipment of the Macintosh version of OpenGL 3D graphics software, and an agreement with Dragon Systems to bring the popular speech recognition software to the Macintosh.