<s>
The	O
Mac	B-Device
NC	I-Device
,	O
sometimes	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
NC	I-Device
,	O
was	O
a	O
network	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
that	O
was	O
expected	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
by	O
Apple	O
by	O
April	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
device	O
was	O
widely	O
promoted	O
by	O
then-Apple	O
director	O
Larry	O
Ellison	O
,	O
apparently	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
his	O
Oracle	B-Application
Network	B-Operating_System
Computer	I-Operating_System
initiative	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Mac	B-Device
NC	I-Device
was	O
ultimately	O
never	O
released	O
,	O
although	O
key	O
components	O
of	O
its	O
technology	O
were	O
inherited	O
by	O
the	O
original	O
iMac	B-Device
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
August	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
21	O
,	O
1996	O
,	O
Oracle	B-Application
Corporation	I-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
30	O
hardware	O
and	O
software	O
vendors	O
,	O
announced	O
an	O
intent	O
to	O
build	O
computers	O
that	O
are	O
designed	O
around	O
the	O
network	B-Operating_System
computer	I-Operating_System
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
idea	O
was	O
to	O
design	O
technology	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
profile	B-Device
that	O
included	O
diskless	B-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
commonly	O
coded	O
applications	O
using	O
languages	O
such	O
as	O
Java	B-Language
,	O
and	O
interface	O
with	O
the	O
internet	O
using	O
common	O
software	O
such	O
as	O
Netscape	B-Protocol
Navigator	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
1996	O
,	O
Apple	O
became	O
a	O
partner	O
in	O
the	O
network	O
computing	O
effort	O
,	O
and	O
used	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
Pippin	I-Device
platform	O
as	O
its	O
implementation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Oracle	B-Application
Corporation	I-Application
CEO	O
and	O
Apple	O
board	O
member	O
Larry	O
Ellison	O
announced	O
in	O
December	O
1997	O
,	O
while	O
talking	O
to	O
the	O
Harvard	O
Computer	O
Society	O
,	O
that	O
Apple	O
would	O
release	O
a	O
product	O
called	O
the	O
Macintosh	B-Device
NC	I-Device
in	O
April	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
suggested	O
the	O
network	B-Operating_System
computer	I-Operating_System
would	O
have	O
a	O
"	O
near-300	O
MHz	O
"	O
processor	O
and	O
a	O
17-inch	O
screen	O
,	O
and	O
would	O
sell	O
for	O
less	O
than	O
US$	O
1,000	O
(	O
with	O
a	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drive	I-Device
available	O
as	O
an	O
extra	O
costing	O
an	O
additional	O
$100	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
at	O
Oracle	B-Application
,	O
Ellison	O
had	O
overseen	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
a	O
business	O
alliance	O
that	O
produced	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
Network	O
Computer-branded	O
devices	O
from	O
companies	O
such	O
as	O
Sun	O
and	O
IBM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
never	O
manufactured	O
any	O
devices	O
under	O
the	O
Oracle	B-Application
alliance	O
,	O
but	O
did	O
endorse	O
the	O
Network	B-Device
Computer	I-Device
Reference	I-Device
Profile	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steve	O
Jobs	O
had	O
already	O
stopped	O
all	O
Macintosh	B-Device
clone	I-Device
efforts	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
shut	O
down	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
Pippin	I-Device
concept	O
and	O
any	O
prospects	O
of	O
the	O
Mac	B-Device
NC	I-Device
.	O
</s>
