Apple snuggles up with Digital

Press, 26 January 1988, Page 26

Apple snuggles up with Digital

By

GARETH POWELL

Two computer companies are joining forces in an alliance which will dramatically change the face of computing. The two companies are Apple and Digital, which jointly announced at Mac World Expo — the trade show in San Francisco for the Macintosh computer and related products — a new co-operation agreement. The idea is that they will jointly develop products that will link together the computer products, of both companies. Most importantly, the communications between the two systems will follow the International Standards Organisation’s OSI — Open Systems Interface. This will mean that this standard, which is already widely accepted, will become mandatory for all manufacturers. This development has been rumoured for some months — it was a major topic of discussion at the same convention a year ago — but both companies played their cards close to the chest and issued the customary denials. The announcement came from Apple’s chairman and chief executive officer, John Sculley, and Kenneth Olson, president and chief executive officer of Digital. Both said the agreement had come after pressure from customers and staff. Both Digital and Apple executives seem to be in total harmony over this new co-operative move. Indeed, both companies have such a similar philosophy — innovative, independent, iconoclastic — that the staff are almost, according to insiders, interchangeable. In the United States, customers of both companies have been urging them to work together. About 40 per cent of Digital’s

customers have Macintoshes installed and a substantial percentage of those machines are already connected to the Digital network. The news brought forth the expected responses from the industry analysts who, in the United States, are regarded as instant sages on any real or projected event.

Said analyst Barbara Isgur: “There is a clear alliance in purpose — if not in contract — for Apple and. Digital to provide an alternative to IBM from the low end to the mainframe."

Although the alliance may not damage IBM, it is ominous news indeed for some of the other mainframe manufacturers. A Digital/Macintosh mini/micro combination totally integrated into a single network will be an almost impossibly hard act to beat. The agreement will result in products that will integrate the Macintosh and its AppleTalk network system and the Dec Net system used by Digital on its VAX computers. This means that the Macintosh and the VAX will be able to share files of data, exchange documents, operate electronic mail, access databases and allow the Macintosh to function as an ultra-intelligent terminal for the VAX.

There have been several products in the market for some time which allow the two types of computers to communicate but customers prefer to have such interconnections provided by the original manufacturer. And this new co-operation will undoubtedly

provide what the trade loves to call “seamless integration.” The general feeling of attendees at the fair was that this was a rare example of a “win win" situation. It has positive appeal for Digital because it allows it to offer a complete solution without getting near an IBM clone. It gives Apple some extra validity in the business world. Last year Apple increased its penetration into major business in the United States by over 40 per cent. This new alliance should see an increase of a greater magnitude in the coming year. Most industry commentators consulted at Mac World Expo said this was but the initial move in what could become a very close working relationship between the two companies — with substantial benefits on both sides.

At the same time, Apple announced Apple Share, which allows Mactinosh users with an Apple Net network to introduce PCs into the circuit. Once set up, the PCs and the Macintosh can exchange files of information in several common formats and can access each other’s hard discs.

Plainly, there are absolute limitations because of the dramatic difference in operating systems but the number of file types that can be shared is far larger than previously thought, and the number is increasing by the day.

In launching this new product, Apple has removed one of the last remaining arguments for not introducing Macintosh computers into the offices of major corporations — compatibility.