APPLE COMPUTER: Apple WebObjects customers top 3,000

   Apple Computer, Inc. announced that over 3,000 customers have purchased the latest version of its application server software, WebObjects 3.5, for building and deploying Internet-based application solutions. Leading organisations including Adobe Systems, Inc,. Standard & Poor's and the U.S. Department of Defense are using WebObjects to create powerful Internet, e-commerce, human resources and asset management applications. Additionally, Apple announced that WebObjects 4.0, expected to be released later this year, will debut on Apple PowerPC-based computers, in addition to the currently supported Windows and UNIX platforms.
   "Apple's advanced WebObjects software has become the marketshare leader in the application server space," said Steve Jobs, Apple's interim CEO. "Based on this success, we are very excited to make WebObjects 4.0 available on Apple's Pentium-toasting G3 systems later this year."
Leading Organisations Deliver WebObjects 3.5 Applications
   Among the leading organisations deploying WebObjects 3.5 applications are: Adobe Systems, Inc.; Aetna U.S. Healthcare; Allied Signal, Inc.; America Online, Inc.; the American Stock Exchange; BankBoston; Bank of Montreal; Blue Cross of Atlantic Canada; British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC); First National Bank of Chicago; Hewlett-Packard Company; Imation Corp.; Mayo Clinic; MCI Telecommunications Corp.; Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.; Nortel; Standard & Poor's; The SABRE Group; The Sharper Image; The Smithsonian Institution; Toshiba; and the U.S. Department of Defense.
   Adobe Systems, for example, has now standardised its web applications on WebObjects 3.5. As part of this standardisation, Adobe has built several internal and external web applications using WebObjects including Corporate Dashboard, a tool for forecasting, sales tracking, etc.; a self-service online benefits application in conjunction with PeopleSoft; and Adobe's own e-commerce application.
   "Adobe standardised on Apple's WebObjects for building dynamic web applications because we needed a development platform that could connect to a variety of data sources fueling a host of internal and external applications across our organisation," said Vito Laudicina, vice president of Information Services, Adobe Systems, Inc. "WebObjects' rapid deployment time and flexible architecture has allowed us to leverage both our extensive existing IT infrastructure and the power and ubiquity of the web."
   WebObjects 4.0 to Debut on PowerPC-Based Computers Expected to be released this Fall, WebObjects 4.0, for the first time will support Apple PowerPC-based computers, as well as Windows and UNIX platforms. Additionally, WebObjects 4.0 will offer performance enhancements; the capability to create multithreaded applications and distributed Java applications; and better application monitoring and test playback tools. Also included with WebObjects 4.0 will be numerous re-usable components to ease development, including batch navigation bars, status screens for long-running requests, and code-free, database interaction views.
   Apple WebObjects WebObjects is the market-leading platform for developing and deploying Internet and intranet applications. It includes an application server, pre-built application components, and rapid application development tools. Its strengths include flexible integration to enterprise information systems, and it has been the basis of numerous deployed business-critical applications. WebObjects runs on Windows and UNIX platforms, and with the release of WebObjects 4.0, will support Apple PowerPC-based computers.
   The Apple logo is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Apple, Macintosh, Power Macintosh, PowerBook, WebObjects and Apple Store are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are hereby acknowledged.