(Nikkei BP Group)
(No.1 High-Tech News Site in Japanese)
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| [MACWORLD Expo/Tokyo] Color Is Important Factor for Consumer Market: Apple VP
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February 23, 1999 (TOKYO) -- Nikkei Personal Computing magazine interviewed
Phil Schiller, vice president of worldwide product marketing at Apple
Computer Inc., about the U.S. company's strategies for the consumer
market.
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Schiller visited Japan in conjunction with the MACWORLD
Expo/Tokyo '99 held at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba prefecture, near
Tokyo.
Nikkei PC: Is there any possibility that the iMac will have more
color variations?
Schiller: We do not have any concrete plans at
this moment. We understand that the iMac should have more variations
in color than in specifications as a consumer product. There is a possibility
that it will have more color variations to differentiate it from other
products in the future.
Nikkei PC: Does that mean portable models scheduled to be put
on the consumer market in the future may have color variations too?
Schiller: I hope so. The color variations are important on such
PCs, not because they are "portable" but because they are "personal."
It is quite natural that everyone cares about the shape and color of
his or her house or furniture.
Nikkei PC: Japanese users hoped that a portable model would be
made public in Steve Jobs' lecture on underlying strategies. Will that
happen?
Schiller: As we have already announced, a portable model for consumers
will be introduced after the middle of this year.
Nikkei PC: Could you tell us about the transition to modern I/O,
such as universal serial bus (USB) and FireWire (IEEE1394)?
Schiller: They are right on schedule. Developers supporting us
are increasing in number. The iMac helped spread the USB in the last
half of 1998. We want to promote the spread of FireWire (IEEE1394) by
introducing the Power Macintosh G3 series this year.
Nikkei PC: What is the purpose for establishing the consortium
on patents related to FireWire announced the other day?
Schiller: It has been necessary for peripheral manufacturers to
conclude an agreement with each of the patented manufacturers in order
to adopt FireWire. The consortium is designed to promote the spread
of FireWire through the centralized unit.
Nikkei PC: Neither Intel Corp. nor Microsoft Corp. of the United
States participated in the consortium. Do you think that FireWire will
be a defacto standard without their support?
Schiller: FireWire is already a defacto standard. Whether or not
PC manufacturers adopt it does matter. Sony Corp. and Compaq Computer
Corp. already introduced PCs equipped with FireWire as standard specifications.
Microsoft is also associated with FireWire in various forms. Everyone
in any industry will tell you that FireWire is the defacto interface.
Nikkei PC: What are your plans for application software other
than hardware and the operating system?
Schiller: We have already developed various application software
programs, including a DVD player in addition to QuickTime and AppleWorks
(ClarisWorks in Japan). AppleWorks has the largest share in the educational
market, both for Macintosh and Windows versions.
Nikkei PC: But in Japan, ClarisWorks is available in version 4.0,
which is older than the English version, and Claris Draw is not yet
scheduled to be upgraded.
Schiller: The Japanese edition of ClarisWorks version 5.0 is being
developed. We are reviewing other Claris products on the basis of their
marketability, and will decide whether we will continue making efforts
to develop new versions.
Related stories:
Most Japanese iMac Buyers are New Mac Users,
Jobs Says
Apple, Sony, Others Agree on Licensing for IEEE1394
Patents
(Nikkei
Personal Computing)
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