Big enhancements seen in new Mac OS

'A new Mac for $832' is how Graham Long, Apple Computer Asia-Pacific president, describes the company's operating system upgrade.

That may be a slight overstatement, but the Mac OS 8.5 does feature some significant enhancements, particularly in the areas of Internet and multiple-language support.

The new OS features a file and Internet search tool called Sherlock, which displays search results ranked by relevance.

It searches keywords simultaneously by using several search engines, including AltaVista, Encyclopedia.com, Excite, Infoseek and Lycos.

'You don't have to launch a browser,' Jeanne Lim, Apple's consumer group business manager, said.

'We expect a lot of plug-ins for Sherlock over the next six months,' Ms Lim said.