RELEASED NOVEMBER 26, 1996

For more information contact

Be, Inc.:
Alex Osadzinski, alex@be.com
+1 (650) 462-4126

Power Computing:
Mike Rosenfelt, miker@powercc.com
(512) 388-6705

Q. Is this agreement exclusive to Power Computing? If not, who else is Be talking to? Are you talking to other clone vendors?

A. No, this license is not exclusive to Power Computing. It is true that in recognition of Power's contributions to the BeOS effort, they will be the only PC manufacturer to bundle the BeOS for the first quarter of release. After that time, we expect a number of other licensees to begin shipping the BeOS. Our objective at Be is to offer and deploy the BeOS broadly among the PowerPC base of personal computers and workstations. This agreement with Power Computing is the first step towards that goal. Be is currently in discussions with many other vendors, but we have no other announcements at this time.

A. The terms of the agreement, as with almost all agreements of this type, are confidential.

A. The BeOS will start shipping with Power systems next quarter (Q1, 97) We will be providing more information about the availability of the BeOS with both Power systems, and through retail channels, just after the beginning of the year.

A. No. Power has always been a company that offers choice. Having both OS on a system gives customers a choice and the advantage of getting certain media and communications related applications to work faster and more efficiently.

Power systems will continue to come with the MacOS pre-loaded on the hard disk. As the BeOS begins shipment, the new operating system will be provided on a CD included with the system, since the customer will have a number of options for installing the BeOS (as a partition, on a separate hard disk, etc.) The BeOS will provide methods of switching to the MacOS to run MacOS-specific applications, and then switching back to the BeOS to run the latest software.

A. The BeOS will initially be available in the US, and in certain European languages. As the range of languages the BeOS supports increases, bundles with systems destined for additional countries will be announced.

A. No, there is no additional cost to Power customers for the BeOS.

A. Be has had discussions with Apple about technology issues across the board. For example, we continue to have a working relationship with Apple's PowerMacintosh hardware teams. And we have spoken with Apple in the past, and intend to have more discussions in the future, about technologies such as QuickTime. In addition, we have talked with Apple about various general technology issues, especially about the PowerPC market and where the companies might work together. We expect these discussions to continue.

A. The team at Power Computing has been very supportive of the work we are doing at Be, and we have admired the way in which Power has moved the PowerPC hardware platform quickly forward over the last two years. This agreement formalizes our relationship so that both companies can build value into the PowerPC customer proposition. Be's discussions with Apple are a separate matter, and we don't see them having much of an impact on Be's relationship with Power. Power is, and will continue to be, a licensee of the BeOS and a close partner in future development of PowerPC software and hardware.