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Multimedia studios on Mac clones planned

Monotype will compete with Silicon Graphics, which is already in the area by using more advanced high-end systems.

Where Monotype differs is in its usage of desktops - the Mac clones. This will be the first time that a digital studio will offer videography, mixing and multimedia for the entertainment industry - film studios and television broadcasting - on a low-end system.

In India, most customers in the digital multimedia market have already invested in high-end systems and the desktop has yet to be accepted in the country as an equally powerful system.

Monotype believes there is a vast potential for it in the market and plans to set up demonstration studios for the pre-press industry as well as the media by the end of the year.

Monotype, the sole distributor for Mac clones in India, has tieups with two of the four worldwide manufacturers of Mac clones, Power Computing and Daystar Digital. Power Computing and Daystar Digital, together with Umax and Motorola, were licensed to manufacture Macs when Apple tried to counter the growing threat from Windows.

By licensing its technology, Apple hoped to popularise the Mac operating system and ward off the Windows threat. Umax and Motorola are rumoured to be coming to India soon.

Mac clones, which have been selling in India since last year, have increased the total market share of the Mac OS by 11 per cent, according to the product manager, Mac clones, Monotype, Valentine Abhishekam. By next year, they should be commanding a market share of 50 per cent, he said.

Internationally, the clones are priced at much more affordable rates than the Apple systems. According to industry sources, this was how Apple intended them to be and planned to reduce its own production.

As a follow-up, the company closed down some manufacturing units in the Southeast Asian region.

In India, though the clones are priced lower, the price difference between them and the Macs is not very high.

However, clones are still doing well and this is partly because they are more easy to upgrade and accept add-on software better.

- Compiled from the Indian media

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