Apple To Sell Imacs At Sears To Snag First-Time Pc Buyers

SAN JOSE - Apple Computer said it will start selling its iMac home personal computer at Sears, Roebuck & Co., the largest U.S. department-store company, in a bid to reach more first-time PC buyers.

Apple's iMac, the top-selling PC sold in stores for several months, will appear at about 825 Sears locations by Memorial Day weekend. Sears also will sell add-on devices for the iMac, such as printers and disk drives.

CompUSA, the largest U.S. PC retailer, is the only national chain that currently sells the iMac.

Interim Chief Executive Steve Jobs made the announcement at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose. The company has been making a comeback since co-founder Jobs returned in late 1997 after a 12-year hiatus.

New products, led by the curvy, colorful iMac, have lifted the company's share of the PC market in recent quarters from less than 3 percent in 1997. The company returned to profitability in fiscal 1998 after two years of losses.