APPLE BITING BACK; WARES SOLD ON NET.

Byline: Associated Press

Apple Computer Inc., imitating and taking aim at one of its more successful rivals, said Monday it will sell its wares to consumers over the Internet.

The company, fighting back from stubborn losses to its bottom line and market share, also said it will now build computers to order.

The changes, in addition to helping Apple operate more efficiently, will make it easier for customers to get exactly what they want, said co-founder Steve Jobs. He also announced several new Macintosh computers based on a fast new microprocessor.

``We are fundamentally changing the way we do business without losing sight of why we do business - to make the best tools in the world for people who think creatively,'' Jobs told several thousand employees, analysts and reporters.

Jobs showed off The Apple Store, the company's Web site, where customers can order from among several versions of Macintosh computers, choose modifications, and arrange payment and delivery.

The hourlong presentation, at the same auditorium where Jobs unveiled the original Macintosh more than a decade ago, marked a shift in how Apple builds and sells computers and also identified a new enemy.

Mac aficionados have been fond of vilifying Microsoft Corp. and its chairman, Bill Gates. But that has eased somewhat since Apple and Microsoft decided several months ago to put aside their long-standing feud.

On Monday, Jobs targeted Dell's leader, Michael Dell, who pioneered the sale of personal computers over the Internet.

Jobs, obviously seeking revenge for Dell's reported comment that the troubled Apple should be shut down, projected an image of Dell on a giant screen with a bull's-eye superimposed.

``We want to tell you, Michael, that with our new products and our new store, and our new building and manufacturing, we're coming after you, buddy,'' Jobs said.

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PHOTO Apple Computer Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs announces that Apple will sell its wares directly to consumers over the Internet.

Associated Press