Although the two machines look similar and share the same operating system, they are different inside.
Ordinarily, the Quadra would enjoy one iron-clad advantage over the Power Mac: word processors, spreadsheets, and other programs written for the Quadra can’t run on the Power Mac under usual circumstances. Although Apple hopes its Power Mac line will compete against IBM PC-compatibles from companies such as IBM, Compaq, and Dell, it is possible that a large fraction of Power Mac sales could come at the expense of its own 680X0-based Mac, the Quadra (“Apple Stews Over Emulator,” PC Week, June 13, 1994). The Power Mac, Apple’s latest addition to its line of Macintosh computers, abandons Motorola’s 680X0 microprocessor series for the faster, cheaper Power PC microprocessor. Such is the dilemma currently facing Apple Computer. One of the most delicate balancing acts a company must perform is to introduce a new product without cannibalizing or adversely affecting its existing products.
