TV-PGJuly 10, 2002: AtAT wakes up just long enough to comment on the whole "Press Pass Blacklist" brouhaha. Meanwhile, an iMac with a 17-inch LCD screen might be the big news at next week's Stevenote, while new Power Macs are now expected to be MIA...
But First, A Word From Our Sponsors
 

As an Amazon Associate, AtAT earns from qualifying purchases


 
NAUGHTY Press! No Pass! (7/10/02)
SceneLink
 

Repent, sinner, for the Expo is nigh! Nary a week remains before His Steveness addresses the adoring throngs at the Javits Center, and there's good news for those of you who are planning on making the pilgrimage: there ought to be plenty of extra seating at the event, what with the designated press corral looking to be so much smaller than in years past. Surely you've heard by now that those logistical wizards at IDG have denied media passes to a whole slew of Mac-related sites, and while blame-assigning fingers are pointing every which way but loose, most of them are aimed squarely back at Apple, who allegedly strongarmed IDG into blackballing any sites which have gotten Steve's knickers in a twist for having had the gall to publish "rumors and speculation." What with the newly vacant seats, maybe you'll be able to sleep an extra twenty minutes or so before hopping in line at the keynote-- assuming you aren't a member of one of the media outlets that have apparently wound up on Steve's enemies list, of course.

For what it's worth, an IDG spokesperson "strenuously denied" to Wired that Apple had any hand in ensuring that less-desirable members of the fourth estate were denied media access: "There is no blacklist. It's not Apple's show. It's purely IDG's responsibility to decide." Of course, the idea that Apple has no pull whatsoever on matters like this would be utterly ludicrous even if another IDG rep hadn't already called Dean Browell of AppleLust and told him that his passes had been Steved after "Apple had reviewed the list of media attendees and blackballed about 30 web sites" for the heinous crime of rumormongering. Oops. Sounds like IDG needs to get its story straight. How much you wanna bet that the loose-lipped rep who phoned Browell is now sleeping with the fishes with a couple of old PowerBook 3400s tied to his ankles?

Nevertheless, IDG's official story is that they've simply gotten stricter about enforcing their age-old criteria before doling out media passes because some representatives from an "enthusiast site" somehow "acted inappropriately" at the last San Francisco show. (Hey, don't look at us-- we were on a whole different coast last January, and we can produce sworn affidavits and marginally credible eyewitnesses to prove it.) Of course, if you believe that this whole brouhaha arose just because some crank at IDG didn't like it when Fred of "Fred's Totally Wicked Mac Site" smuggled an outside bottle of Yoo-Hoo into the Javits Center instead of shelling out eight bucks for a can of Sprite, that's certainly your prerogative-- but you're missing out on a golden opportunity to get in on the ground floor of one of the juiciest Apple conspiracy theories ever to be handed over on a silver platter. A platter, we might add, on which is elegantly engraved the phrase "Eat This."

Now, granted, if the conspiracy theory is true and Apple is quietly smacking down those who would dare bandy about the five-letter R-word, your decision not to believe a word of it may be a simple act of self-preservation; after all, the last thing you want to do is show up to the keynote only to be escorted into a small private room by two thugs in black turtlenecks who immediately administer a heavy beating. But for those of you either brave enough to risk the consequences (or naïve enough to think that your Macs aren't regularly broadcasting your browser history to One Infinite Loop), faithful viewer T.S. McBride turned us on to Mac OS Rumors' vitriolic rant on the subject, which is still available on the site's home page.

When it comes to Blacklistgate, there's no end to the commentary out there, but MOSR's is notable both because it comes from the granddaddy of Mac rumors sites and because it includes some language that doesn't quite clear the "TV-PG" requirements. But it's interesting to note that some of the verbiage was toned down at some point; Apple's Nathalie Welch is now referred to merely as a "PR staffer," which is (arguably) far less offensive than what MOSR originally called her. (And, no, it had nothing to do with "Facts of Life"; true, the show had a character named "Natalie" and a cast member named "Lisa Whelchel," but there's no connection, despite the fact that Ms. Welch's high school nickname was, coincidentally, "Tootie.")

Lastly, plenty of viewers have asked us whether we were directly affected by this alleged blacklist, and the answer is yes-- but only in the sense that it gave us a zesty plot element to work into the show. We weren't planning on attending the Expo this summer anyway, what with the unfeasibility of dragging a cranky eleven-week-old along for the ride, so we didn't actually apply for media passes this year. So we can't say for sure whether or not we're on Santa Steve's "Naughty" list, but we figure if the rampant speculation didn't land us on there, the occasional cracks about his wardrobe did. Looks like we'll be reaching for our wallets when next summer's show rolls around...


 
SceneLink (3729)
iMac Hits A Growth Spurt (7/10/02)
SceneLink
 

Since we're already planning to skip the Expo this time around and we therefore have no media passes that can be rescinded, we suppose it's relatively safe for us to ponder publicly about what surprises Captain Steve might be stuffing up his big, stretchy sleeves for next Wednesday's shindig. (We're assuming that Steve's anti-rumormongering campaign is still in Phase 1 and hasn't yet progressed to include drive-by firebombings of known offenders. But we've checked the batteries in the smoke alarms just in case.) For what it's worth, Think Secret has a ton of interesting info about what we should (and shouldn't) expect next week-- and if you'd rather get your juice from a "legitimate" media outlet, most of that speculation and insider info also appears in a CNET article. (Note to CNET staffers: you may want to call before the show just to make sure that Apple-- er, IDG-- will actually still allow you inside the convention hall next week. And bring bribes, just to be safe.)

We're going to leave some of this stuff aside for a while, like the claim that Apple is about to rename iTools ".Mac," because frankly, the notion that the company might be scrambling to make its online services sound more like .NET nauseates us about as much as when Apple announced it planned to "mirror Microsoft's support policies." (C'mon, folks, you're so much better than that.) Instead we're going to focus on what Steve might be hoping is the Big Surprise for this show: the introduction of an iMac with a 17-inch screen. Ooooh. Aaaah.

"But AtAT," you ask, "isn't that what the eMac is?" Well, yeah, sorta-- except that the eMac is basically a juiced-up 17-inch version of the classic CRT-based iMac, and what Think Secret and CNET are talking about is one of those new-fangled LCD-on-a-stick units, only with a 17-inch panel instead of the current 15-inch one. Think Secret is calling this a "stone cold lock" for an Expo debut, and their track record on this stuff is exemplary, so pretty soon, it looks like you'll have the option to spend a little more scratch and finally get an iMac whose head doesn't look slightly too small for its body. (Sure, you'll also get more screen real estate, but clearly that's secondary to owning a physically well-proportioned Mac. Priorities, people!)

We don't mind telling you that we're a little edgy about Apple introducing what will undoubtedly be a more expensive iMac at a time when the personal computer market is limping. Actually, it's not even limping so much as it's dragging itself along with its lips. iMac sales, in particular, are slow slow slow (MacMinute notes a DigiTimes article about Quanta taking a hit because of slack iMac demand; Apple reportedly ordered Quanta to "halt production for much of June"), and we strongly suspect that adding features (and cost) isn't going to get more consumers in a Mac-buying mood-- at least not the way that a hefty price cut on the existing models probably would. Of course, Apple might also rack up more sales with a "Free Pony With Purchase" promo, but that doesn't mean it's economically viable. More's the pity.

But back to the keynote. If these reports are true, personally, we hope that Steve isn't counting on a 17-inch iMac to be his jaw-dropping show-stopper. Mac fans took one look at the new "floating screen" design last January and saw that an eventual upgrade from a 15-inch panel to a 17-incher wasn't an "if," but a "when," so the introduction may well be met with little more than a smattering of polite applause, if not the sound of crickets chirping. But hey, look at it this way: even if a 17-inch iMac is the Big Surprise next week, it'll still be a more satisfying keynote conclusion than last year's infamous "iDVD 2 Coming Soon" closer. It's all about keeping a positive mental attitude!


 
SceneLink (3730)
The Power Mac No-Show (7/10/02)
SceneLink
 

If you've been paying attention to Mac OS Rumors lately, you may have worked yourself up into a lather about new Power Macs allegedly set to debut next week-- boasting speedier G4s, zippier FireWire, and possibly improvements such as the DDR RAM that's largely responsible for making a dual-gigahertz Xserve so much faster than a current model dual-gigahertz Power Mac. But if the most recent whispers wafting down the grapevine are true, you might want to slip those salivary glands back into Standby Mode and conserve your drool reserves, because Think Secret claims to be "100% sure" that new Power Macs aren't destined for inclusion in Steve's dog and pony show next week. (It's okay to cry. Just let it all out.)

This isn't top secret information smuggled out past the Silicon Curtain by those ever-popular "sources close to Apple," either; disturbingly enough, it's based on solid and publicly verifiable fact. (Don't worry, we don't use that particular four-letter "F"-word too often. We apologize if we offended you, though.) Have you noticed that Apple has stuck with tradition and once again dusted off its Crystal Clear Savings promo? In this latest iteration, Apple's trying to move G4s by offering $500 back by mail if you buy your new Power Mac together with a 17-inch, 22-inch, or 23-inch LCD display. And since the promotion just started two days ago and runs until August 12th, it hardly seems likely that Steve is planning on taking the wraps off any new Power Macs next week. Sad but true.

The good news, however, is that this is an unusually short promotion-- implying strongly that Apple does have new Power Macs almost ready for prime time, and that it just wants to flush the old stuff out of the channel for the next few weeks while it puts the finishing touches on the new units. Think Secret backs that up with some of that cloak-and-dagger insider info you all love so much, claiming that "sources confirm" that Apple plans to introduce faster Power Macs "in a special product announcement next month." Details are sketchy, but reportedly the August systems will boast "a new design and new motherboard, together with redesigned flat panel displays."

What they won't be packing are G5 processors, which Think Secret states aren't in the cards until next year. Longtime AtAT viewers won't find that to be particularly surprising, but we know that there are at least a few of you out there who vowed never to buy a new Mac until the G5 was available, so if you want to stick to that plan, we suggest averting your eyes when this alleged press event rolls around next month, just to avoid any unnecessary temptation. Maybe January?


 
SceneLink (3731)
← Previous Episode
Next Episode →
Vote Early, Vote Often!
Why did you tune in to this '90s relic of a soap opera?
Nostalgia is the next best thing to feeling alive
My name is Rip Van Winkle and I just woke up; what did I miss?
I'm trying to pretend the last 20 years never happened
I mean, if it worked for Friends, why not?
I came here looking for a receptacle in which to place the cremated remains of my deceased Java applets (think about it)

(1233 votes)

Like K-pop, but only know the popular stuff? Expand your horizons! Prim M recommends underrated K-pop tunes based on YOUR taste!

Prim M's Playlist

DISCLAIMER: AtAT was not a news site any more than Inside Edition was a "real" news show. We made Dawson's Creek look like 60 Minutes. We engaged in rampant guesswork, wild speculation, and pure fabrication for the entertainment of our viewers. Sure, everything here was "inspired by actual events," but so was Amityville II: The Possession. So lighten up.

Site best viewed with a sense of humor. AtAT is not responsible for lost or stolen articles. Keep hands inside car at all times. The drinking of beverages while watching AtAT is strongly discouraged; AtAT is not responsible for damage, discomfort, or staining caused by spit-takes or "nosers."

Everything you see here that isn't attributed to other parties is copyright ©,1997-2024 J. Miller and may not be reproduced or rebroadcast without his explicit consent (or possibly the express written consent of Major League Baseball, but we doubt it).