Further intelligence has reached us on Apple Computer Inc’s plans for an autumn product blitz of new machines and models rebadged for the mass market (CI No 1,981). The consumer line, dubbed Performa, is expected to start with a Performa 200 rebadged Classic II and a Performa 400 rebadged LC II. The Performa 600 is expected to be a 33MHz 68030-based system with NuBus, an onboard video and processor-dependent slot, and a Performa 600CD variant with a CD-ROM drive is expected to complete the Proformas. A new Macintosh IIvx is expected to be a 16MHz 68030-based system with three NuBus slots and onboard video, 32Kb cache and floating point co-processor. Among the portables, the PowerBook 160, using a 25MHz 68030 with up to 14Mb RAM, is tipped to have a 16-grey-level screen and a video port for 8-bit colour on an external 13 screen. And a Model 180 using a 33MHz CPU with a floating point co-processor is expected, while a PowerBook Duo that weighs 4 lbs and comes with two docking mechanisms, one with two NuBus slots, a hard disk and video drive for 8-bit colour on a 16 screen is expected to complete the line-up. The Performas are expected to come with pre-loaded consumer-oriented software, but there is no further word on just what applications Apple is planning to bundle.
