For the first time, Windows workstations will muscle into the obviously Mac-dominated MacWorld tradeshow next week. Intergraph, SGI, and other companies will offer PC-based alternatives to the Mac platform that outperform their PowerPC competition at lower prices.
Intergraph will show off its Extreme Z workstation, which features a single or dual 300 MHz Pentium II CPU, at least 64 MB of RAM and Windows-to-Mac connectivity features. SGI will be showing its Octane and O2 workstations, which are based on the MIPS CPU. Digital, meanwhile will offer Alpha and Pentium systems running Windows NT that can be used for prepress and digital imaging.
Oddly, Apple is expected to be low-key at this event. At last summer's MacWorld in Boston, Steve Jobs dropped the bomb that Microsoft was investing $150 million in the company. No such announcements are expected this time around. The company will announce a minor upgrade to Mac OS 8.0, dubbed version 8.1, however