STRUGGLING APPLE UNVEILS SPEEDY NEW MACS.

Byline: Catalina Ortiz Associated Press 

Apple Computer Inc. may be suffering from sluggish sales, but there's nothing slow about its new computers.

Countering uneasiness about its future, the company Friday unveiled the fastest personal computer available - suggesting it's determined to turn itself around rather than shop itself around, some analysts said.

The Power Macintosh introduction came amid renewed speculation about a possible sale or takeover of the personal computing pioneer, which is amid a major reorganization to help reverse recent steep financial losses.

``While (Chairman) Gil Amelio has made it clear that if a positive partner made a proposal to them that they would consider it, it appears far more likely he's got his nose to the grindstone,'' said Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies Research International in San Jose.

Apple's new Power Macintosh line runs at speeds of up to 300 megahertz, compared to the fastest IBM-compatible PCs that run 200 MHz Intel Pentium processors.

Analysts said the new computers could reignite excitement about Apple's products and help rebuild revenues as the company struggles to become a smaller, more focused company.

``This gives Apple some pizazz in a very tangible way,'' said Eric Lewis, an analyst with International Data Corp. in Mountain View, Calif. ``It's the best consumer Macintosh Apple ever had.''

The Cupertino, Calif., company showed off the new Power Macintosh 6500 series computers at a multimedia technology fair at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

The new machines - boasting speedy multimedia and Internet-access features - are priced from $2,000 to $3,000 without monitors. Five different models come with software packages for home users, small businesses and schools.

They run on Motorola microprocessors at speeds ranging from 225 to 300 MHz - all faster than rival personal computers using Intel Corp. chips and Microsoft Corp. software.

Apple's 225- and 250-MHz models are available now; ones with 275- and 300-MHz chips will be available in limited quantities later this spring.

The new Power Macs replace Apple's slow-selling consumer-oriented Performa line. Weak demand for Performas and the subsequent need to slash prices were blamed for much of Apple's $120 million loss in the October-December quarter.

``The Performa all too often was a non-performer. These are powerful, fast machines,'' Lewis said. ``I think they'd be attractive for anyone considering a Mac for home use.''

It was a shame, he added, that the announcement came amid ``all this other noise'' about the company.

The round of speculation started last week, when Oracle Corp. Chairman Larry Ellison said he was considering a bid for Apple. He said if he ever got control of the company, he would sack Amelio and other top managers.

On Wednesday, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Bin Abulaziz Al Saud, nephew of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, said he had paid $115 million over the past few weeks to acquire about 5 percent of Apple. He said he would be talking both with Amelio and Ellison.

And on Thursday, The New York Times Times, citing executives close to the company, reported that Apple is actively looking for a friendly merger partner. One executive told the newspaper that Apple employees told him the company was in talks with workstation maker Sun Microsystems Inc., which was interested in buying Apple in early 1996.

Apple declined to comment, as did Sun Microsystems.

Sun, rather than being interested in acquiring all of Apple, might be interested in acquiring its Newton hand-held computer, Lewis said. Apple is considering a sale of Newton, which after a rocky start has won respect but is still losing money.

The prince, in an interview published in Friday's New York Times, said he was keeping an open mind about Apple's direction and would talk with both Apple's management and with Ellison.

While analysts don't think the prince is interested in taking part in a takeover of Apple, they said his investment puts extra pressure on Apple.

If the company wants to remain independent, it must reorganize without stumbling, develop new operating software without delays and turn out exciting new products like the new Power Macs without a hitch, they said.

``They're going to have to do this - being more aggressive and continuing with their plans to move ahead,'' Bajarin said. ``Because they really believe their plans are viable.''