Looks like the luck of the Irish is about to run out-- at least, if you happen to be a factory worker assembling iMacs in Apple's plant in Cork. Rumors have been flying for days that Apple plans to cut something like five or six hundred jobs there, due to production plan changes that could drastically alter the plant's personnel needs. The Cork plant has recently been running full tilt, cranking out PowerBooks, new G3 minitowers, and iMacs-- especially iMacs. But now it sounds like Apple is planning to move iMac production elsewhere, and workers in Cork may feel the pinch. A Reuters story has more details.

Reportedly, Apple plans to outsource the production of iMacs to a third party company: LG Electronics, a manufacturer based in South Korea. The speculation is that LG Electronics plans to build a new plant in Wales and that iMacs will be produced there instead of in Cork, although it's unclear just when this "planned" facility will be open for business. In fact, very little about this whole business is clear-- and that's making a lot of people in Cork pretty upset. The Irish Times shows that anti-Apple sentiment in Cork is growing, not so much because of the likely loss of local jobs, but rather because Apple still isn't telling anyone that they'll soon be pink-slipped. Apple, as usual, is declining to comment, while a local government agency is claiming that the imminent job loss is all but official. From a PR standpoint, it's a big black eye.

This isn't the first time that Apple's outsourcing of production has led to a loss of jobs in Cork; last July, 150 jobs were cut when Apple outsourced their printed circuit board production. That was offset by the news that the Cork plant would be making iMacs for all of Europe, but apparently that hasn't lasted. We certainly see Apple's benefit in lowering costs by outsourcing production, but we wish they'd at least tell the Cork workers where they stand; after struggling through a rough comeback, it seems unwise to foment another loss of employee morale. It's tough enough to lose one's job, but to hear about it first from the press is a nasty blow.

Here's an interesting fun fact we've noticed in the past few months: it's tough to be sad when there's an iMac in the room. Really, there's something about the overall physical design that just exudes happy rays, or something. It's rounded, translucent, and-- perhaps most importantly-- brightly colored. The Bondi blue model gracing the AtAT offices pumps out enough cheer to brighten a sizeable area, maybe fifteen or twenty radial feet. We imagine that one of the new fruit-flavored units might be able to brighten an even larger area. Trust us, it's a nice addition to a room during the blah and dreary winter months. Anyone who tells you that brightly-colored computers are not a real innovation probably hasn't spent much time with them. An iMac already seems cheap, but that $999-$1199 price seems even better when you consider the money you'll save on psychiatric sessions to treat seasonal depression disorder.

The only problem, of course, is that even we can't spend our entire lives in the same room, even if there is an iMac in it. Eventually we've got to leave, and the cold, grey world soon erases any happy influence that the iMac's cheerful coloring might have imprinted on our souls. That's why we're so anxiously awaiting Apple's consumer portable, code-named "P1" and said to be an iMac squished down into a mini-PowerBook form factor. And Apple Insider reports that Apple has finally finished the P1's plastics, and apparently the curvy little numbers will be available in a variety of flavors, just like the current iMacs. Mix and match, trade with your friends! Finally, we'll be able to take the iMac's cheerful energy with us wherever we go. Maybe we'll even get a few so we can choose a color of the day depending on our mood. It's probably the closest we're going to get to our wish for honest-to-goodness Mood iMacs and the like.

We're certainly not surprised by the news that the P1 will come in different colors; heck, even the eMate, the P1's evolutionary ancestor, was available in a variety of bright translucent hues, and anything else in the P1 would be a step backwards. Still, it's nice to have confirmation, even if it's not "official." Now our only challenge is to remain patient while Apple works out the final details; the P1 is expected to ship with the moniker "WebMate" sometime within the next 120 days, with an iMac-style pre-release hypefest announcement sometime this month or next. In meantime, we'll just bask in the glow of this here iMac and only leave the room when absolutely necessary...

Isn't it nice how Apple's finally doing so much to encourage games development for the Mac platform? Not that we personally have ever suffered from a dearth of entertainment software; in fact, we've got games we still haven't even taken the shrinkwrap off yet. Still, the more variety the better, seeing as it's the spice of life and all. Personally, we at AtAT are TV junkies (gee, what gave us away?), and so when the force of TV combines with the power of computer gaming we get something really special. No, we're not talking about game console systems, though we're as excited about Virtual Game Station as everyone else. We're talking about games inspired by or based on our favorite TV shows. Case in point: The X-Files Game by Fox Interactive, which is everything we could want in an adventure game and more. Participate in the investigation of an actual X-File along with Mulder and Scully? Uh, yeah, sign us up...

That's why we're so excited to read at the Mac Observer that Fox Interactive is planning a new title for release next month, and it's called "Fox Arcade: Sci-Fi Pinball." Sure, it's a lame and corny title, and pinball simulations often leave a lot to be desired, but pretty much no matter how iffy the game itself turns out to be, we're definitely going to buy it anyway. See, the game actually includes four pinball tables, each based on a different Fox TV or movie title. There's one for "The Fly," one for "Predator," one for "Aliens," and-- here's the kicker-- one for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." A Buffy game? You know we're there. Especially since the game includes video clips and sound bites from the aforementioned movies and shows. It's a darn good thing that this game is coming out for the Mac, because otherwise our platform loyalty would be sorely tested. If there were ever a struggle at AtAT between the irresistible force of Buffy and the immovable object of the Mac platform, our heads would likely explode. But right now that doesn't have to happen.

Incidentally, if you're a big fan of "real" pinball games but computer simulations leave you unimpressed, you should definitely check out Pro Pinball: Timeshock! by Empire Interactive. It's so realistic, it's the first pinball simulation that really impresses us as pinball fans and not just as computer games fans. Now if you'll excuse us, we've got a case to solve...