Tom Thompson
Apple's new 630 series of Macs features a modular design that makes audiovisual capabilities like watching TV in a window and recording live video as a QuickTime movie available in systems for under $1500. Two cost-cutting features help make this new Mac affordable.
First, Apple used 60-nanosecond DRAM (instead of the more expensive video memory) for the 630's built-in video. This DRAM is used in a 1-MB frame buffer that's separate from the Mac's memory subsystem and can't be expanded. Due to the frame buffer's 1-MB limit, the largest display the 630 supports is 800 by 600 pixels at 8 bits per pixel, with 256 colors. Smaller screens support 16-bit pixels, the pixel depth required to reproduce digital video accurately.
Second, Apple used a 250-MB IDE inter
nal hard drive. Because IDE drives are a PC staple, this design choice reduces cost by $20 to $50 per system (a saving that is magnified by the time the system makes its way through the retail channel to the consumer).
Unlike Apple's Mac TV, which lets you toggle only between a full-screen TV session and a full-screen computing session, the 630 lets you use Mac applications as you watch a TV program in a window. A basic Quadra 630 with a 33-MHz 68040, 4 MB of RAM, and a 250-MB IDE hard drive costs $1279. You can then buy the components you need for your medium's requirements. A $149 Apple Video System lets you acquire 16-bit video in a 320- by 240-pixel frame, while a $249 Apple Video/TV System module supplies a cable-ready TV tuner that plugs into a dedicated slot. A $229 Apple Presentation System module lets you print the Mac screen (e.g., a software demonstration session) to video systems like a videotape or projection TV.
Apple's Affordable Audiovisual Macs
