Meade Instruments Corp. Announces New ETX With Available GO TO Feature.

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 6, 1999--Meade Instruments Corp. (Nasdaq/NMS:MEAD) Wednesday announced its new ETX-90/EC Astro Telescope, with, as standard equipment, a microprocessor-controlled motorized drive system permitting multispeed dual-axis operation via a small hand-held controller.

The new telescope will be available by month-end at retailers such as The Nature Company, Discovery Channel Stores, and Natural Wonders, as well as at hundreds of other retail-store locations. Like the original ETX, whose high-resolution mirror-lens optical system it shares, it will be priced at about $595.

With the addition of the optional Autostar(tm) Computer Controller with fully automatic GO TO capabilities (also hand-held, and expected to have a retail price of approximately $149), the telescope will automatically locate and track more than 12,000 celestial objects, including planets, asteroids, comets, galaxies, nebulae and individual stars.

The ETX-90/EC will also feature an RS-232 serial port to facilitate operation of the telescope through a personal computer using Meade's Epoch 2000(R) astronomical software or other software of the user's choice.

Moreover, with the serial port one will be able to input orbital data for Earth satellites and thereby locate and track, for example, space-shuttle missions and the space station they will be servicing.

John C. Diebel, chairman and chief executive officer of Meade Instruments, said he expects that the ETX-90/EC will, like its predecessor, quickly prove to be a revolutionary product.

"For years casual amateur astronomers have had difficulty locating objects as familiar as Jupiter, Saturn and the Orion Nebula. With the ETX-90/EC and the Autostar(tm) controller, they will now be able to find these objects -- and thousands of others -- at the push of a button.

"The GO TO feature will become even more accessible to beginning astronomers as, over the next few months, we apply it as well to many of Meade's less expensive refracting telescopes," he said.

Meade Instruments is the leading designer and manufacturer of telescopes and accessories for the beginning to serious amateur astronomer. Meade also offers a complete line of binoculars for everyone from the casual observer to the serious sporting or birding observer.

The company distributes its products worldwide through a network of specialty retailers, mass merchandisers and foreign distributors.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The matters discussed in this news release contain comments and forward-looking statements based on current plans, exceptions, events, and financial and industry trends that may affect the company's future operating results and financial position. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties that cannot be predicted or quantified and that may cause future activities and results of operations to differ materially from those discussed above. Any historical results achieved are not necessarily indicative of future prospects of the company. For additional information, refer to the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.