Apple Computer Inc has reportedly reversed its fraught Mac OS licensing policy, telling companies that the policy is no longer consistent with its new strategy. Prices for Apple clonemakers were set to rise from around $50 per machine to $500 with the release of MacOS 8 (CI No 3,205). The change in direction coincides with the return to Apple of co-founder Steve Jobs, who is trying to re-galvanize the company in an advisory capacity while it searches for a new chairman and chief executive. One of his most important task is to fill the four gaping holes in Apple’s board of directors. Jobs’ close friend Larry Ellison, chairman and chief executive officer of Oracle Corp, is reportedly set to join Apple’s board this week. He told French newspaper La Tribune that Apple will introduce its new management team at the MacWorld show in Boston this week and that I’m part of it. Ellison at one time sought to attract investors interested in bidding for control of Apple. The New York Times reported Jobs has unsuccessfully tried to persuade a long-time associate, Eastman Kodak chief executive officer George Fisher, to come to Apple. In addition to a new management team, Jobs is expected to reveal a new product strategy focused on education and publishing markets. The company’s also said to be working on a crash program to build a network computer using Macintosh technology, designed for home and education markets. Apple’s on- off server business may also be rejuvenated under the new plan.
