The new multiprocessor Macs neatly sidestep the lack of new Motorola chips in the past few months to compete with faster and faster chips from Intel and Advanced Micro Designs. If the demonstration results hold up, the new machines could restore Apple's crown as making the fastest home computers on earth. The new machines also come with gigabit Ethernet, a superfast new networking standard that offers 10 times the performance of most current office networks. At the low end, Apple had a new mouse and keyboard, but no striking new technology for its breakthrough iMac machines. Apple's new optical mouse actually has no button.
Users click by pressing down on the front of the mouse.
Most of the big announcements at the Expo came from Apple, but a few other major players had flashy new products. Microsoft demonstrated its new Office suite of programs, due out in October. The audio company Harman Kardon showed off its bizarre new SoundSticks transparent speaker system, two tubes that look like clear plastic octopus tentacles and a gigantic jellyfish of a subwoofer. Hopefully, they sound as good as they look. The Web Copyright 2000 ABC News Internet Ventures.