R&D appointment gives Apple a boost despite Mac slump in US

Gil Amelio, Apple Computer CEO, has appointed Ellen Hancock, his former colleague at National Semiconductor, as executive vice-president of research and development and chief technology officer at the company.

She resigned from National Semiconductor in May after 29 years at IBM.

Hancock will be responsible for Apple's research labs, software and networking divisions. She will develop Apple's technology and corporate alliances.

But Apple's US Mac sales fell by 30 per cent to 50 per cent during April and May, compared with 1995, according to research company Computer Intelligence.

Over the same period, Apple's turnover dropped by 31 per cent in April and 33 per cent in May, while its unit shipments fell by 29 per cent in April and 27 per cent in May.

Merisel US claimed its Mac sales were stable over the period, but catalogue reseller Micro Warehouse admitted its sales were flat in May.

Mac hardware constitutes about half of Micro Warehouse's turnover. Poor sales led the mail-order dealer to issue a profits warning last week.