Apple to Unveil Portable Mac; Speculation Abounds

SAN FRANCISCO —  As Apple Computer Inc. prepares to unveil its long-awaited portable Macintosh this week, analysts are talking about the machine as if it were a highly touted boxer about to enter a prizefight.

Sources in training camp say the fighter is a bit overweight and awkward. But no one doubts it has the dazzle and the name to draw the loyal fans. The question is, will it bring home the purse or go home beaten by lighter, smaller competitors?

Early betting has been active, with investors waiting anxiously for each new leak of the computer’s design. The company’s stock dropped $1 a share Wednesday after a Wall Street Journal story cited mixed reviews by analysts.

Many of the computer’s specifics have been leaked in the trade press. Based on the reports, some observers say it will be too heavy, big and expensive.

Critics say its bulky size--it is said to weigh about 16 pounds--will doom it among customers who need a computer that they can use on an airplane or on the road.

But others say the computer’s innovative screen, said to be more clear and graphically exciting than any other portable, and its strong Macintosh name will make it attractive to anybody who has ever owned an Apple and wanted a portable.

The computer’s estimated $6,000 price tag is also an issue.

“I think the price point is too high,” said Bruce Lupatkin, an analyst with Hambrecht & Quist in San Francisco. “It will probably sell to enthusiastic Mac buyers, but I don’t think it will increase Apple’s market share. The price and form factors--the size and weight--will keep it from competing in the portable marketplace.”

But many analysts say there is a huge pent-up demand for a portable Macintosh among Apple’s loyal enthusiasts. Dealers say they have already gotten many orders for the machine, sight unseen, Shearson Lehman Hutton analyst Doug Van Dorsten said.

Important Addition

Ironically, the excitement surrounding the portable has taken the spotlight off a faster full-size Macintosh that is expected to be introduced at the same news conference in Los Angeles.

Many analysts believe that the 25Mhz Mac IIci is a more important addition to the Macintosh family. The computer is a more powerful version of the Mac IIcx and comes with a built-in video chip for better graphics.

The portable Mac’s screen and its battery life are said to be true improvements over other portables made by Compaq, Zenith and Toshiba. The screen uses a new technology, called an active matrix display, in which each screen dot, or pixel, is illuminated by an integrated circuit.