* To: slug@Sunset.AI.SRI.COM * Subject: MacIvory Model III * From: cook@RIVERSIDE.SCRC.Symbolics.COM (Kimberly L. Cook) * Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1991 16:28-0400 * Cc: cook@RIVERSIDE.SCRC.Symbolics.COM Contact: Gary Roberts, Symbolics, Inc., (617) 221-1356 Mimi Englander, Sterling Hager, Inc., (617) 259-1400 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AAAI Booth #210 --Aggressive Volume Discount Delivers High-End Object-Oriented Technology for Less Than $5,000 Per Seat-- SYMBOLICS ANNOUNCES 350% PERFORMANCE JUMP FOR MAC-BASED PRODUCT LINE --Third Generation Ivory* Processor Now Available on Entry-Level Mac II Systems-- BURLINGTON, Mass., June 26, 1991 -- Symbolics, Inc. today announced the availability of the MacIvory model 3, a high-performance system for the development and delivery of symbolic processing applications based on the popular Apple Macintosh II family of computer systems. According to the Company, this third generation system is software- compatible with the entire Symbolics product line, provides a better than 350 per cent improvement over the Company's first-generation Model 1, and a 200 per cent advantage in performance over MacIvory model 2, as measured by the Gabriel benchmark test suite. The MacIvory model 3, the Company said, provides the combination of a robust symbolic processing environment recognized for its advanced and tightly integrated software tools with a widely-installed hardware platform. Symbolics stated that the MacIvory model 3 offers a significant performance boost for both new and existing systems. "Our new Ivory processor, together with an integrated memory subsystem that avoids the bottlenecks of the Mac NuBus implementation, provides users with performance that is about 350% of that of the MacIvory model 1 system. We have also coupled these product improvements with an aggressive upgrade program that allows customers to convert older MacIvory systems to the new model 3 for under $5,000," stated Product Manager, Gary Roberts. Commenting on the new discount pricing put into place, Roberts stated "the MacIvory model 3 provides an excellent, economical vehicle for the delivery of applications by our customers to their end-users. We've instituted a deep-discount program for volume purchasers that reduces delivery prices to as low as $5,000. Additionally, the compact design of the MacIvory model 3 means that it can be used in a far wider range of Macintosh II systems than our previous models. Our new system requires as little as one NuBus slot in a Mac system." Houston Lighting and Power to Deploy New Scheduling System on MacIvory Model 3 Houston Lighting and Power (HL&P) has recently upgraded nine MacIvory models 1 and 2, and purchased three new MacIvory model 3s to deploy its new Interactive Maintenance Scheduling System beginning in September. "We immediately signed up to upgrade our existing MacIvories and purchase additional new model 3s because it will provide us with the improved performance we've been looking for to easily download database information from our mainframe to any plant site," stated HL&P senior scheduling analyst, Hosea Bailey. "We conducted benchmark testing of the model 3 and found it loaded up files in one third of the time it took to perform the same operation on the model 2." MacIvory model 3 Availability and Pricing Scheduled to be available for delivery in volume in 60 days, the MacIvory model 3 upgrade package for Macintosh II family systems, priced at $15,900 (U.S., single unit quantity), includes the MacIvory model 3 processor, 10 megabytes (MB) of Ivory ECC memory, Genera delivery software and a keyboard overlay. Starting at $29,000 (U.S., single unit quantity), bundled systems consist of the Macintosh IIfx with four MB of SIMM memory, the MacIvory model 3 processor, 10 MB of Ivory memory, a 320 MB (formatted) SCSI disk drive, a 19-inch high resolution monochrome monitor, the Apple extended keyboard with Genera overlay and Genera run-time delivery software. Options for the model 3 include up to 40 MB of Ivory memory; the MacIvory model 3 floating point accelerator; an Ethernet interface; 40 MB and 2.3 GB cartridge tape drives; a CD-ROM drive; an erasable optical disk drive; 320 MB, 640 MB and 1 GB SCSI disk drives; Genera development software; and Symbolics' family of development tools, applications and networking software. The MacIvory model 3 will be shown at the 1991 American Association of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) Conference in Anaheim, CA from July 16 through July 18. Symbolics, Inc., headquartered in Burlington, Mass., is a leading supplier of Lisp-based workstations and object-oriented software used in sophisticated applications including interactive scheduling and planning, hypertext-based publishing, computer-aided mathematical computing and HDTV-based graphics imaging and processing. Symbolics and MacIvory are trademarks and Genera is a registered trademark of Symbolic, Inc. Apple, Mac, and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. NuBus is a trademark of Texas Instruments, Inc. Ethernet is a registered trademark of Xerox Corp.