Buying a PowerBook just got easier on your credit cards. Just as MacCentral reported, prices have been dropped on the PowerBook G3 Series, with configurations at the Apple Store starting at just $1999 for a 233 MHz version with 32 MB of RAM, a 2 GB hard drive, a 20x CD-ROM drive, built-in Ethernet and 56K modem, and that great 14.1-inch screen. That's a value that's tough to beat. If money is no object, you can opt for the top-of-the-line 300 MHz model with 64 MB of RAM, an 8 GB hard drive, and a DVD-ROM drive with DVD video capability for $3699. (Stop drooling, it's uncivilized.) If you're one of those "middle of the road" kind of people, Apple's got a couple of models to fill the gap.

As if those choices weren't enough, the budget-conscious laptop shopper may want to stop by the Apple Store's "Special Deals" page, where there's a slew of refurbished G3 PowerBooks available. If you're willing to squint at a dim 12.1-inch passive-matrix screen, you can pick up a G3 PowerBook for as little as $1349. One caveat, though (in addition to the usual warnings about buying refurbished equipment)-- refurbs aren't eligible for Apple's latest PowerBook promotion. That's right; to sweeten the deal, there's a promo that gets you either a free 64 MB of additional RAM or a free copy of Virtual PC when you buy a new G3 PowerBook between now and April 30th. How cool is that?

By the way, we'd be remiss not to mention just why we think Apple's slashing PowerBook prices again. If you've been following things in the Apple laptop saga lately, you know that the lab rats in Cupertino are busy throwing together the next generation PowerBook, code-named "101." You can read more about it at O'Grady's PowerPage, but the short version is this: it's gonna scream. Given that it's expected in May, we just have to assume that Apple's lowering prices on existing PowerBooks in an attempt to flush the channel and make room for the new blood. What's that mean to you? If you want and need a PowerBook right now, and you don't need the fastest possible machine ever, it means you can save a couple hundred bucks on a new G3. If you're willing to wait in order to get an even faster model and money is no object, then you might want to consider holding off until 101 debuts.

It's the return of everyone's favorite party game, "Guess the P1 Release Date!" See, the announcement of the iMac last May caught pretty much the whole world by surprise; until then, all we had were vague hints from Apple that a re-entry into the consumer market was coming, and a lot of varied speculation about the "Columbus" project (which turned out to be the iMac's motherboard). When the iMac finally made its surprise appearance, people were floored, and the initial flurry of interest from both the Mac community and the media pretty much guaranteed that the lovable little lump would be a hit, debate about missing slots and floppy drives notwithstanding. Now, with the consumer portable (known as "P1" within Apple's walls), Apple told us all ahead of time that it would be coming in 1999, and everyone is expecting a runaway success similar to the iMac's. The only question remaining is, "When?"

After some speculation that it might surface at Macworld Expo in San Francisco last January (not even close), hopes were running high that Steve Jobs might trot it out on stage at last month's Expo in Tokyo. No go. The latest whispers we'd heard put the unveiling at around the timeframe of the Worldwide Developers Conference coming this May, which is farther off than we'd like. However, Mac OS Rumors has thrown their hat into the ring and is now predicting a P1 unveiling at one of those super-special "Apple Events" expected on or about April 22nd. While we at AtAT have no particular reason either to confirm or to deny the date, the fact that the P1 introduction will be a world-wide media circus is a sure bet. There's no way, for instance, that Apple would take the wraps off what is probably their most highly-anticipated computer in history at something as relatively low-key as a developers' conference, unless they were willing to throw the conference into utter disarray by opening the doors to hordes of reporters and cameras. Expect media super-saturation.

Of course, just because Apple may or may not unveil the P1 in late April, that doesn't mean you'll actually be able to buy one at that time. Sure, Apple claimed their new strategy was "announce when it's available" back when they brought the world the first G3's, but things have slipped since then. The iMac, for a classic example, was announced a full three months before it was shipping and available; if Apple follows a similar strategy with the P1, then we may well not see them for sale until, say, the Macworld Expo in New York this July. Yes, we'll keep our fingers crossed for an "available immediately!" announcement, but we won't be holding our collective breath. And whenever the P1 is announced, and whenever it's actually released, we have a feeling it'll be well worth waiting for.

Remember all that hubbub when Apple started laying off a bunch of workers at its manufacturing plants last month? The noise was particularly loud from Cork, Ireland, but there were plenty of pink slips in Elk Grove, as well. The reason for those layoffs was Apple's plan to outsource iMac production to a third party manufacturing company, presumably to cut costs and keep the iMac's price competitive. The company chosen to crank out the new iMacs was LG Electronics, more familiarly known to most of us as Goldstar. Apple wasn't talking a whole lot about the arrangement, but it seemed likely that iMacs formerly assembled in Elk Grove would instead be put together at LG's plant in Mexico. Sure enough, according to Apple Investors, that's exactly what's happening-- quickly, and quietly.

Apparently, Apple's managed to begin the transition to LG's plants with very little fanfare. iMacs assembled in Mexico are already appearing in the domestic retail channel; you can spot them by keeping an eye out for serial numbers beginning with "MX." (Their big-brother iMacs that were born in Elk Grove instead sport serial numbers starting with "XA" or "XB" instead.) Given that the impending layoffs were only news about five weeks ago, we must say, we're impressed with how smoothly the transition appears to be proceeding.

That's all well and good for the stockholders, provided that the only effect of the outsourcing is streamlined production and lower costs. It's far too early to get a sense of whether the shift of iMac production to LG's Mexico plant will have any effect on the computers' quality. We at AtAT sincerely hope that Apple hasn't lost sight of its increased focus on quality control, because a return to the days of, say, the 4400 and exploding PowerBooks really wouldn't benefit anybody, even though it'd give AtAT some pretty terrific story fodder. Cutting costs is one thing, but we'd hate to see iMacs that feel "cheap" (or, depending on your perspective, "cheaper").