Given the firehose-like stream of incredulous mail gushing into the AtAT inbox (faithful viewer KillSwitch led the charge), most of you had the same reaction to DA Computing's Komodo Server that we did-- namely, it's that same rush of righteous indignation that fired us up when we saw the first iMac knockoff, Future Power's ePower. See, we've come to realize that if you have to describe what makes a copycat product a copycat, it's not a blatant enough imitation to be worth the fuss. But when the similarities are so obvious that casual observers feel their blood pressure ratchet up a few points on sight, that's a knockoff for the ages. Mark the Komodo Server squarely in that category.

"But AtAT," some of you might ask, "what's a Komodo Server? Is it just another rube in the long line of iMac and iBook ripoffs?" Nope; this time it's the Power Mac G4 Cube that's been sent through the cloning machine. Evidently DA Computing was undeterred by the Cube's slow sales numbers, because the Komodo Server is so similar to Uncle Steve's latest baby, they could have been separated at birth. Oh, sure, the Komodo has a different birthmark (a green Komodo dragon instead of a Graphite apple) and appears to be quite a bit larger (in fact, MacNN's photo makes it look like a pituitary freak), but the Platinum cube suspended in a clear lucite sleeve makes it abundantly clear whose paper DA Computing was copying from when it decided to save money by not hiring industrial designers.

As a matter of fact, DA Computing doesn't even make a feeble pretense of denying that the Komodo Server is, uh, "influenced" by Apple's Cube. The company's own product info states that the device "was gifted with a beautiful out-looking, the cubic shape... If you like the Apple G4 Cube, you should like our Komodo Server." We're sure Apple's lawyers are happily filing that slightly askew yet immensely revealing quote away as damning evidence right about now.

Whether or not Apple actually chooses to sue on trade dress grounds remains to be seen, but unless the company's "charmingly enthusiastic" legal team is tremendously busy with something else, we'd guess a lawsuit is, at most, mere days away. In fact, at broadcast time, DA Computing's web site was still unavailable, whereas we had no trouble loading it up yesterday afternoon. Is that just a coincidence, or is it an ominous sign that Apple's lawyers have already leaped into the fray?

A Cube knockoff's not the only noteworthy thing that surfaced at this week's Comdex convention, industrial design-wise. As faithful viewer Michael pointed out, a Reuters story discusses Microsoft's upcoming "Tablet PC"-- a slate-type device that the company "hopes to bring to market by 2002." There are a couple of things about the Tablet PC (a prototype of which is shown in a Reuters photo, being held by a man who is evidently Anthony Perkins' less-talented younger brother) which will make Apple-watchers go "hmmmm" right off the bat.

First of all, as Michael asks, "is that thing Ice and Tangerine?" While we personally don't detect any hints of translucence about it, we do have to agree that the Tablet PC as shown looks a little like Microsoft just ripped the top half off of a Tangerine iBook. The whole two-tone, bright color accent / neutral base thing indeed seems at least mildly inspired by Apple's industrial design revolution (and at most a direct crib).

The other aspect of the Tablet PC that might interest some folks is the fact that its interface is purely stylus and handwriting recognition: "Once the notes are recorded in the Tablet, they can be edited... just like [users] might manipulate any other electronic document." In other words, it's an electronic notepad, "slated" (ugh, that one was beneath even us) to ship nine years after Apple introduced the original Newton MessagePad, which did the same thing-- although, of course, it didn't do it terribly well until a few revisions later. While many of us complained that the Newton was too big for a PDA, Microsoft evidently feels that it was actually too small for a tablet. Come to think of it, the Tablet PC is essentially a beefed-up color eMate with the keyboard removed.

Now, that's not to say that Microsoft stole Apple's ideas and should be vilified for such a heinous act. In reality, there's a significant amount of give-and-take in the whole "borrowing" of ideas that keeps the computer industry moving forward. True, Microsoft adopted minor Apple innovations such as the Mac's GUI, QuickTime, the concept of consumer-grade digital video editing, etc. But consider the Microsoft innovations that Apple stole right back: pay-per-call tech support, the practice of charging money for beta software, and especially those cute little arrows that appear on the icons of shortcu-- er, aliases. So everybody benefits!

You know, when faithful viewer Tom notified us last week about Dell's stock plummeting 18% overnight and dragging the rest of the tech sector down with it, we sort of dismissed it as "dog bites man"-style news-- not too interesting, especially when there was dirt about Bill Gates's investments in Viagra alternatives to dish. These days, issuing earnings warnings and then getting crucified on Wall Street is practically mandatory if you're a big-name computer maker. Simply everybody's doing it. (Heck, Hewlett-Packard did it yesterday.)

However, we've taken another look at the Dell situation, because whereas all these other companies are simply jumping on the bandwagon, as we all know, everything Dell does is driven by CEO Michael Dell's incurable obsession with Steve Jobs. So does Dell's latest earnings warning and resulting stock dip herald a new low in Mike's acute Steve-itis? We think it just might. Faithful viewer Tom Bank forwarded us a Morningstar.com article which indicates that the student may well have surpassed the master; apparently this latest warning constitutes "the third time Dell has cautioned investors this year."

Three this year? But as far as we can make out, Apple's only warned us twice-- once with that fateful "slow sales" announcement that halved the value of its stock overnight last September, and once again at the earnings statement last month, when Fred and Steve made it clear that the following quarter would pretty much suck, too. So that means Dell's actually out in front of Apple when it comes to issuing dire financial news. Holy Hannah! What's next? Will Dell actually start coming up with its own product innovations before Apple does?