Ah, the 3.5-inch floppy drive... that long-entrenched yet much-maligned storage device that graces almost every modern desktop computer in existence-- with the exception of the iMac. Never mind that the floppy drive is old, slow, unreliable, and very low-capacity; apparently some people would rather drive meat thermometers into both their ears than buy a computer without a floppy. And just as the lack of a floppy drive is probably the single most common reason that a potential customer eventually passes on buying an iMac, the delay in USB floppy drives hitting the shelves has been one of the top reasons that some people are returning their iMacs to the stores from whence they came. After being told that USB floppy units like Imation's SuperDisk drive would be available within a couple of weeks of the iMac's ship date, some buyers grew impatient when the goods never showed up to the party.

Well, fret not-- according to NoBeige, the Imation SuperDisk drive is the first floppy-compatible drive for the iMac to hit the scene. Their sources report that Cyberian Outpost received a shipment of 400 of the devices on Friday, so we imagine that other catalog retailers and retail stores will be stocking up soon. We also expect at least one or two "standard" floppy drives (that read only 800 KB and 1.4 MB floppy disks and not the higher-capacity 120 MB SuperDisks) to ship for the iMac before the end of the year, probably costing significantly less than Imation's device. If you can wait a couple of more months, you may be able to buy a USB floppy drive for only $60 or $70.

Incidentally, the only time we ever use floppies in the AtAT studios is when we have to access data that some PC-user has sent us on a DOS diskette. But we admit that in many situations, using a floppy disk to tote word processing documents between home and work or school is about a gazillion times faster and easier than connecting to the net and uploading it to a server for later retrieval. That's why we fully plan to slap a SuperDisk on out own iMac as soon as those things show up at the local Microcenter. But it's not so strange that the iMac lacks a floppy drive; after all, it's Steve Jobs' pet project, and he apparently hates those things. He never wanted the original Mac to include a 3.5" floppy drive, but he was outvoted. And when he shipped the first NeXT computer, it had no floppy to be seen. Wonder why he hates them so much?

It's official-- the debut of Mac OS 8.5 is slated for less than two weeks from now. On October 17th, Mac users all over the world will have yet another system software upgrade to consider buying. It's hard to believe that Mac OS 8 has been out for well over a year, now-- about fifteen months, actually. So Apple's due for a big software introduction, and they plan to make it memorable by enlisting the help of Mac-using volunteers, just as they did for iMac Demo Days. Hey, if it ain't broke, why fix it?

Since your friendly AtAT staff isn't above a little civic duty, we thought we'd consider lending a hand. Apple's web site that requested volunteers to demonstrate Mac OS 8.5 at CompUSA stores across the country is still down, but MacInTouch had some interesting details about the promotion. Apparently, all volunteers participating in the program must wear their free official Mac OS 8.5 polo shirt, to be distributed by Apple, along with "black or khaki pants and dress shoes."

Dress shoes? Is this the Apple at which employees could wear cutoff jeans and go barefoot to the office? Sure, we see the necessity for projecting a consistent and positive image out in the field, but requiring dress shoes seems a little restrictive. If a volunteer wants to wear the Apple-sanctioned polo shirt and black khakis with some comfy Chuck Taylors, why would that be a problem? We highly doubt it'd detrimentally affect a volunteer's image, and after all, since these volunteers are doing Apple a favor and standing on their feet all day, you'd think that comfort would be a prime concern. Heck, yours truly has turned down job offers because of a dress shoe requirement. But then again, I suppose that makes me abnormal... Oh well. I hate polo shirts, anyway. For those of you willing to bum out your feet to help Apple, we salute you. :)

Hey, the final quarter in Apple's fiscal year just ended on Wednesday, September 29th, and the press appears to expect some pretty good results. Instead of seeing the vultures circling lazily over Apple's near-carcass, now our favorite computer company seems to have pulled off four consecutive profitable quarters. That's a solid year of black ink. Whodathunkit? For one perspective on the upcoming numbers, check out this NewsBytes article.

The great news is, not only is everyone expecting Apple to announce its fourth straight profit, but several seem to think that this latest quarter may be Apple's best one yet. That'd be a nice coup, because it would mean that Apple's profit grew during each consecutive quarter of the past fiscal year. That's growth-- of one kind, anyway. We expect to hear about all kinds of growth in the near future: not just profit growth, but unit sales and market share growth due to the iMac's overwhelming success, and perhaps personnel expansion due to the need for more bodies to help build all the computers that customers want to buy. (iMac supply certainly appears to be under control-- on Saturday our local Microcenter had five display units up and running and dozens more boxed and ready for sale. Now how about doing the same for Power Macs and PowerBooks, which are still rumored to be relatively scarce?)

While we're on the subject, keep your eyes peeled for the latest AtAT "Beat the Analysts" contest, our quarterly shindig in which you, our viewers, try to put those snooty analysts in their place by guessing Apple's end-of-quarter financial results more accurately than the so-called "experts." If you win, you not only receive some lame software from the Baffling Vault of Antiquity®, but you also gets to bask in the glory that is a cameo appearance on AtAT (i.e., your name in lights). So start working those slide rules; your guesses will be solicited shortly.