Apple Computer To Sell Factory

Apple Computer Inc. said Thursday it will sell one of its four factories but that the new owner will still make Macintosh computers.

The sale of the Fountain, Colo. plant to SCI Systems Inc. marks the first time the company has had another company manufacture a large number of its computers, Apple said.

SCI Systems, based in Huntsville, Ala., makes a wide range of computer and communications systems and is the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer.

Apple, which expects to post a $700 million loss for the January-March quarter, is restructuring its operations. Its new chief executive officer, Gil Amelio, has said it will “outsource” where it makes sense.