Folks, believe it or not, we here at AtAT have just been accused of-- get this-- being too negative. We know, we know... it's a side-splittingly hilarious development, since, as you're all well aware, we're actually all sweetness and sunshine and rainbows and all that other shiny, happy stuff. The very notion that we might actually be negative, well, it's enough to make us laugh a giggly and non-threatening chuckle. Or hunt down the vicious bastard who impugned our lighthearted and positive attitude and beat him to death with a shovel. (Just kidding! See? Light, funny, the feel-good show of the season! Tee-hee!)

Still, the accusation (while ludicrous in the extreme) has made us extra-careful about casting all Apple news in the most positive light possible. So let's talk about the PowerBook G4, shall we? Remember that oh-so-cheerful spin we put on the Apple Store's increasing lead time on shipments for new PowerBook orders a couple of days ago? Here's the gist: whereas most early orders for stock PowerBook configurations initially reported estimated shipping times of 21 days, new orders are showing a 45-day wait instead. Well, according to The PowerBook Zone, that 45-day delay has just been retroactively applied to all PBG4 orders. So now everyone, including those enthusiastic souls who ordered their titanium wonders as soon as the option appeared at the Apple Store, gets to wait a month and a half for delivery from the time the order was placed.

A uniform 45-day delay? Why, we can't stop grinning! There are just so many reasons why this extended wait is a positive development. For one thing, it reaffirms Apple's steadfast commitment to consistency; virtually every portable the company has released in the past three years has shipped far later than promised, so we're tickled pink that the company didn't inconsiderately break from tradition and confuse its loyal fans. For another thing, all those sourpusses who decide that they can't wait an extra three weeks will cancel their orders-- which is great, because it just means more PowerBooks for the rest of us. And then there's the fact that waiting for a new Mac is the best part of the whole process; the anticipation is delicious, and Apple has thoughtfully given its customers an extra-big helping.

Now, in the interests of proving just how positive and upbeat we really are, we ask you this: would a company with serious financial problems risk even further strife by delaying a long-awaited product just out of consideration for its customers? Of course not-- which means that Apple's clearly in better shape than Wall Street thinks. So smile, people; sing, dance, and rejoice!

We admit it: despite its availability for a fortnight now, we, your friendly neighborhood AtAT staff, still haven't bothered to upgrade a single Mac to Mac OS 9.1. At first it was just because Apple's servers were so overloaded, we didn't feel like wrestling with a kajillion other people to download 70 MB worth of patchy goodness spread out across fifteen files. Then we realized that our Mac OS 9.0.4 systems are actually pretty darn stable already. There's no way we're going to update the AtAT server, for example; the thing is a tank, and we really don't feel like endangering its rocklike stability for the sake of a "Windows" menu in the Finder. Maybe if Mac OS 9.1 had included Open Transport 3.0, as originally expected, we might have considered it-- but since the update shipped with a slew of planned features mysteriously absent, we're just not all that inclined to mess with a good thing.

Now, here's the question of the day: did Apple want us to feel this way? Think about it for a second; Mac OS 9.1, after months of delay, finally surfaced on the very day of Steve's last keynote-- yet Big Steve never mentioned it once. It's almost like Apple tried to sneak 9.1 in under the radar, while everyone was ooohing and aaahing over the titanium PowerBook G4, the refinements to Mac OS X, and the prospect of finally going faster than 500 MHz. Hey, think of it this way: iTunes was posted the same day, and since it required Mac OS 9, anyone who downloaded iTunes should also have downloaded Mac OS 9.1. But a week later, Apple bragged about iTunes passing the 275,000-download mark; how many copies of Mac OS 9.1 do you think made it out there in the same time frame?

What we're trying to figure out is whether Apple kept Mac OS 9.1's release low-key because it had to ship it stripped of so many features-- or if it stripped out those features to keep Mac OS 9.1 low-key in the first place. As faithful viewer David Triska first pointed out, AppleInsider is suggesting the latter; reportedly "certain technologies," such as the revamped and simplified Network control panel, OT 3.0, and improvements to the Memory Manager, were deliberately "witheld from the release to be packaged in a later update that will complement the official release of Mac OS X and act as a paid upgrade to consumers" whose Macs lack the oomph necessary to run OS X in all its candy-colored glory.

Note that we're not talking about removing features because they weren't done yet; AppleInsider's sources claim that Steve himself coldly ordered the amputation of several finished improvements from Mac OS 9.1. Whether those missing improvements just wind up on the cutting room floor forever (to make Mac OS X look even better by comparison?) or they surface in an upcoming Mac OS 9.5 release intended to bring in a little extra quarterly revenue, we admit that we're a little spooked by Steve's rumored willingness to axe a bunch of finished features as the means to some mysterious end. But hey, whether the rumors are true or not, they've sure got us paying attention...

Alert the lawyers! The latest in a long line of iMac copycat products has hit the shelves, and we, for our part, are shocked and appalled at the sheer audacity of the ripoff artists. The shape, the style, the two-tone color scheme-- why, we can't think of a single valid defense that the company might have against a vicious trade dress lawsuit filed by Apple Legal. Well, except maybe for the fact that its product isn't actually a computer and it has a dog sticking out of it.

Yes, we're talking about the PetZazz 2-Door Carrier. Faithful viewer Rebecca Awodey alerted us to this strangely familiar-looking device after her son pointed it out to her. One quick glance at its "contemporary, European styling" should leave little doubt where the company got its design inspiration. The product is allegedly intended for "cats and small animals," and it's pictured with a dog who appears to be wearing a helmet, sunglasses, and a scarf. (Rebecca wonders if the canine in question is an iPooch, or possibly even a real dogcow; personally, we're pretty sure it's just an average pup whose photographer really likes to play dress-up.)

The fact that the PetZazz is a pet carrier and not a home computer may indeed save its manufacturer from a bout of costly litigation, but we're guessing that Apple's lawyers are still looking for grounds upon which to sue. In particular, they're probably wondering whether the optional wheels that make "whizzing through airports a breeze" are too similar to the iMac's optional AirPort compatibility-- but given how lax the company has been about going after lookalike products lately, we bet the PetZazz is pretty safe. Rest assured, though; if the PetZazz 2 winds up shipping with a slot-loading food tray, Apple will sue the clothes right off that dog's back.