Hey, does everybody remember the old "light-up iMac mouse" controversy? Reminisce with us, as we travel back to those tempestuous months between the iMac's spectacular launch and its eventual appearance on store shelves. Oh, the arguments that one little blue computer can ignite! Let's see, now... The proponents for at least one expansion slot were going head to head with those who agreed with Apple's philosophy of consumer-level simplicity, the SCSI folks were butting heads with the USB brigade, and we were absolutely convinced that the "no floppy drive" issue would eventually lead to a bloody coup. And yet we at AtAT were far more concerned with the fact that the iMac's mouse no longer seemed to light up. (That's us-- always with the finger on the pulse of today's most important technological issues.)

It's all flooding back to you now, isn't it? Several initial eyewitness accounts from the iMac's official unveiling indicated that the iMac, or possibly just its mouse, actually lit up when the system was on. Apple later claimed that this was not true, but that people had been confused by the stage lights dispersing through the iMac's translucent enclosure. Later on they stated in no uncertain terms that the iMac's mouse had never lit up-- until someone pointed out a QuickTime movie straight from Apple's marketing department that clearly showed the iMac mouse glowing like a Christmas tree. After that, Apple admitted that it was indeed a feature that had gone away long before the iMac would ship. That settled that argument-- but it still didn't help those of us who wanted a light-up mouse.

Of course, some adventurous soul eventually posted detailed do-it-yourself instructions on how to install one's own light in a translucent mouse, and while those instructions are very cool, not everyone is comfortable soldering an LED into the innards of their precious Bondi-and-ice hockey puck-- and particularly not everyone in the iMac's typical un-geeky family target audience. And so it's iLight to the rescue! These guys will take your iMac mouse and, for $19.99 plus $3 shipping, will transform it into a light-up beauty. And if you can't bear to send in your little translucent rodent for minor surgery, iLight will also sell you a brand new non-Apple light-up USB mouse for $49.99. This enterprising service won't begin until sometime next month, but there's a really entertaining list of frequently asked questions and their answers posted for your edification and-- dare we say it?-- illumination. At last! Luminescence for the masses! Of course, the process voids the mouse's warranty, but hey, that's a small price to pay for admission to the Legion of Cool.

So as far as Apple and Best Buy are concerned, is the honeymoon over? Heck, did it ever even start? Best Buy used to be an Apple-authorized reseller way back in the Performa days, but it was the first national chain to bow out when Apple started pruning its list of retailers-- so much for that marriage. But once the iMac showed up on the scene and quickly became the hottest selling computer on the market, there looked like there might be a chance for reconciliation. After all, Best Buy is one of the biggest sellers of computers to the consumer market, and Apple makes the best-selling consumer computer. It's only natural that they tried to patch things up and restart a mutually beneficial relationship; last November, Best Buy signed on to sell iMacs in their 300-odd stores nationwide.

Alas, we just don't think it's meant to be. Apple thinks different, whereas Best Buy just doesn't seem to think at all. Reports of shoddy iMac salesmanship and downright abuse of Mac customers at Best Buy stores are ubiquitous, and yet Best Buy seems unable to understand why they're the only company having any trouble selling iMacs. Apple's attempts to get Best Buy to shape up seem to be falling flat-- the proposed mandatory training for Best Buy computer sales personnel isn't sitting well with the Best Buy management, according to Apple Insider. In addition, Best Buy refused delivery of their first shipment of fruit-flavored iMacs, apparently edgy about the idea of stocking and selling five different colors. Things just aren't meshing, you know?

I think we can chalk it all up to irreconcilable differences. The Apple Insider piece quotes a Best Buy representative as saying, "The future of iMacs in Best Buy is uncertain right now, despite the fact that both parties are pretty committed to making it work." But as far as we can tell, neither side will change enough to keep the relationship together. Some things just aren't meant to be. While we hope with all our hearts that Best Buy can somehow transform into a reasonable Apple reseller-- after all, the iMac needs Best Buy's visibility-- we would rather see them call it quits than have their shoddy ways continue. After all, at what other store can you be kicked out and threatened with being arrested simply for wearing a Macintosh-themed t-shirt?

We admit it-- when we heard that Apple was actually going to be selling otherwise-identical iMacs in five different colors at retail outlets, we thought it was an absolutely nutty idea. Seriously, it just screams "Imminent Inventory Debacle!" at the top of its lungs while running around the room setting fire to the furniture. What if one color was waaaaaay more popular than another? Who's to say that there won't be dire shortages of Grape and warehouses packed to the gills with unwanted Tangerines? Sure, we were assured that Apple had a "secret plan" for just such a situation, but that did little to disperse our growing anxiety.

Now that some sales data is slowly trickling in, though, we're not quite as concerned. According to a MacWEEK article, sales for both the new blue-and-white G3's and the fruit-flavored iMacs are strong, but it's the data about the iMac color choices that helps ease the funny feeling in our collective tummy. The ten-store ComputerWare chain notes that "Blueberry and Grape seem to sell the best, and that Tangerine is the least popular color," but color popularity seems to be varying by location. For instance, the five-store CompuTown retailer claims that their most popular flavor overall has been Lime, but in their San Francisco store, Strawberry and Blueberry are selling the fastest. And CompUSA says that Grape is their biggest seller.

So apparently no one particular color is vastly overtaking the others, and that's good. On the other hand, we're still a bit concerned about poor old Tangerine. Not only is it not the best seller for any of the chains mentioned, but it was also singled out as the least popular flavor by two of the three. Perhaps we should start a "Give a Tangerine a Home" promotion. Think we can sign up Sally Struthers to plead tearfully for viewer support as she walks among dusty piles of unsold Tangerines in a cold, cruel warehouse?