Be Hardware Directions Q & A

On January 30, 1997 Be announced that Be will exit the hardware business, and concentrate on the BeOS software. This document answers questions you may have regarding this announcement.

This page was last updated on January 30, 1997.

General

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Q: Why are you exiting the hardware business?

A: As a small company, we must stay focused on our primary goal, which is to make the BeOS the premier platform for digital content design applications. Building our own hardware was necessary when you couldn't buy a low-cost MP (multi-processor) personal computer. With the advent of such machines, it's impossible for us to keep up with performance, features and price given our limited resources. The BeOS runs excellently on low-cost UP (uni-processor) and high-performance MP PowerMacs.

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Q: I've got a BeBox. What happens to me?

A: We'll honor the 1-year warranty on the machine and will make best efforts to maintain a spares stock beyond that. BeOS releases for three years (until the end of 1999) will support the BeBox. We're working on some special deals for BeBox owners wishing to move to PowerMacs and will announce details soon.

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Q: So how do I develop for MP PowerMacs, given that DR8.2 on the PowerMac is UP only?

A: The next release of the BeOS, the Preview Edition, scheduled for the end of this quarter, will have MP PowerMac support and will be made available to our developers.

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Q: What about all the I/O ports on the BeBox, especially the Geekport?

A: Aside from the Geekport, most new PowerMacs come, or can be configured, with quite complete I/O capabilities. We're working on drivers for various audio, video (including digital audio and video) and MIDI devices. We're interested in the level of demand for Geekport functionality on, say, a PCI card.

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Q: What are the differences between the BeOS on a BeBox and the BeOS on a PowerMac?

A: Very few. Although the current BeOS for PowerMac release is very much a developer-only release, lacking the full hardware support that the BeOS has on the BeBox, this support will be implemented in the next release of the BeOS for PowerMac scheduled for the end of this quarter. In all other aspects, the BeOS for PowerMac is identical to the BeOS on the BeBox.

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Q: Can I still buy a new BeBox from Be?

A: No. We have ceased production of new BeBoxes.

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Q: Can I get a used BeBox?

A: The comp.sys.be.* newsgroups occasionally have ads for used BeBoxes. We do have a pool of loaner machines that we will cease to circulate in the coming months, and may offer some of these machines for sale as used. Please watch our web site, http://www.be.com/, for announcements.

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Q: Is anyone else going to manufacture the BeBox?

A: Nobody else has announced that they will manufacture the BeBox at this time.