Hot on the heels of Steve Jobs' big Wednesday event comes some very interesting news from Japan. Steve, you may recall, revealed to us all that iMacs are still selling like gangbusters, and the data about who's buying them is very interesting indeed. If Apple's market data is correct, then almost 30% of iMac buyers are first-timers to the world of home computers, and one out of eight iMacs sold is actually replacing a Wintel PC. If that trend can continue, then Apple should be looking at some real market share growth over the next year or so.

The good news is that the iMac's incredible popularity is not limited to the United States; in Japan, things apparently aren't much different. According to a CNET article, Apple Japan president Eiko Harada says that they've sold 40,000 iMacs in Japan since its introduction at the end of August. 10,000 were sold on the first day they were available, and 1,000 more have been sold each and every day since. Even the demographic numbers seem in line with Steve's; in Japan, about 40% of the iMac buyers are new Apple customers, and 14% are crossing over from the Wintel world.

But the really interesting news is this: reportedly, over half of the iMac buyers in Japan are women. From what we understand, that's pretty much unheard of; computer makers have long scratched their heads, trying to figure out how to lure female buyers, and apparently Apple has done it. We don't want to make any hasty generalizations, here, like "chalk up one more win for the 'cute factor.'" It may in fact be that Japanese women are attracted by the iMac's low price, fast processor, and simplicity; everyone loves the promise of a computer that lets you work and play without a lot of hassle and wasted time. But it may also be due in large part to the iMac's look, which, now that we think about it, evokes a cross between Bubblegum Crisis and Hello Kitty. Personally, this reminds us of our idea for little iMac-shaped Tamagotchi virtual pets, which would require you to feed and care for a little dogcow. You heard it here first, so if Apple actually ever makes them, you'll know from where they stole the idea. ;-)

Hey look, a press release by Macworld indicates that their magazine is the "best read" computer publication around. They beat out 33 other computer magazines (not just Mac magazines, mind you) in this year's Computer Industry Media Study. We're not exactly sure what determines the "best read" publication, but in any case, kudos to Macworld for a job well done.

We mention this press release not because we're huge fans of Macworld; sure, we subscribe, and we do find the magazine informative and entertaining. But we still have severe doubts that Macworld "accidentally" or "unknowingly" posted the Tomb Raider II demo to their web site several days before they were allowed to; their competitor MacAddict had the exclusive right to distribute the demo the first weekend that is was available. While we haven't heard any public statements about the incident from either side, unnamed MacAddict sources characterize Macworld's brazen move as "an act of war" by a well-respected publication who abandoned professionalism and broke its agreement in order to generate some web traffic. Whatever. Being members of the MacAddict Network, we're not exactly impartial here, so we should probably just leave it at that. (Good thing this isn't actually a news show, right?) We'll end this digression by saying that we like both magazines, and if Macworld did something naughty, we hope they'll think twice about doing something like that again.

Er, what were we talking about?... Oh yeah, Macworld's press release. Yeah, the cool thing about the press release is that Intelliquest found that the Mac business market grew by 6% over last year-- faster than the overall growth of the computer business market, which was 2%. In addition, the Mac home market grew by 12%, just about even with the overall growth of the home computer market-- and the iMac ought to pump that number up. If those figures can be believed, then it's yet more evidence that interest in and use of the Macintosh platform is growing again, both at home and in the office. And that's always welcome news.

The judge said no more delays, and evidently he meant it. Prepare yourselves for the season premiere of "Redmond Justice," because the trial starts on the 19th, whether Microsoft is ready or not. Drama and tension have been running high in the off-season, as Microsoft complained about a last-minute widening of the antitrust case's scope when the Justice Department added witnesses from Sun and Apple. Those new witnesses are expected to reveal how Microsoft tried to mess with Java and QuickTime, instead of focusing on issues surrounding Internet Explorer and unfair competition with Netscape. After first claiming they needed six extra months to prepare, Microsoft most recently asked for two more weeks, but according to the San Jose Mercury News, that request has been denied, and the show will go on-- on this coming Monday.

The judge has also revealed a flair for the dramatic, as he ruled that written testimony in the case will be kept under wraps until just before each witness testifies in court. See, Judge Jackson is plainly tired of this whole crazy case, and he most definitely doesn't want to see it drag on and take years to finish, so he's been taking measures all along to ensure as quick a trial as possible. One of those measures is an unusual requirement that each witness in the case provide his direct testimony in written form ahead of time, rather than live in the courtroom. That means that only cross-examination and what follows will actually take place on the stand, which will supposedly speed up the trial. When he imposed this unusual restriction last June, it seemed as if all that written testimony would be available to the public and the press as soon as it was submitted, but instead, it's going to be released a little at a time, in accordance with a Justice Department request.

The judge's reason for this piecemeal release of the testimony to the public is that it "serves the public interest by ensuring that the public experiences the trial, including the presentation of the evidence, as it otherwise would have unfolded in the courtroom." In other words, he's trying to deliver the dramatic tension of a conventional courtroom showdown even though the testimony is occurring in a less dramatic fashion. What a guy! He doesn't want to spoil our fun just for the sake of a speedy trial. The man's a genius of direction, and we hope we see more of his work in the future.