Mac cloner to sell PCs

Umax Technologies, known for its Macintosh compatible PCs, unveiled its first line of PCs based on Intel processors.

Umax says the new high-end PCs will be aimed at the burgeoning market for personal workstations where graphics and audio-intensive applications software is used.

Umax sells Mac clones. It is the first and only high-profile Mac clonemaker to sell computers using both the Windows and Mac operating system. Another division of the parent company, Umax Data Systems, is already a large supplier of Intel-based motherboards, so the company is experienced in the kind of competition facing clonemakers in that market.

The company says that the announcement is a part of its strategy to offer computers using all of the major operating systems. Umax is enjoying success with the Mac OS-based computer but the company recognizes that there is a large market for Windows-based workstations, Vincent Tai, the company's president, said in a prepared statement.

The UmaxPC systems feature either a 200-MHz or 166-MHz Pentium processor with MMX technology and video-3D graphics accelerator from S3. Two other optional graphics accelerators from 3Dlabs also are available for use in 3D image rendering applications such as computer aided design. Other features include a 12X or 16X CD-ROM drive and 2.1GB hard drive.

No pricing information or availability was announced.