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Wall Street for Cheap (9/18/98)
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Sure, there were problems with the original Wall Street PowerBooks. For instance, while the 13" and 14" active-matrix screens on the higher-end systems were gorgeous, the passive-matrix 12" screen on the low-end model was less than perfect. In fact, it was pretty awful, to put it bluntly. That's one of the reasons Apple nixed those screens in the new release of the PowerBook G3 Series, and has now standardized on the big, bright, and beautiful 14" active display on all models. Great news, right?
Yup, great news-- unless you're on a budget that doesn't look smilingly on the fact that the new low-end PowerBook G3 is $2799, about $500 more expensive than the previous bare-bones model. Sure, you get a much better screen and a significantly faster computer (thanks to the addition of 512 KB of backside cache to the 233 MHz G3 at its core), but the simple reality is that not everyone who needs a PowerBook can justify spending $2799 to get one. The older model may have given them reason to swear at the screen on a fairly regular basis, but at least it was a cheaper option. But what's this? According to MacCentral, Apple's doing the right thing again-- it appears that a new PowerBook G3 is expected to hit the channel in a week and a half. This unannounced model includes the same G3/233/512 processor, but it's got a 12.1" active-matrix display with an 800x600 resolution. And it includes 24-bit color and an S-Video-out port just like its active-matrix big brothers. Toss in an internal 56kbps modem, and the final price tag is still only $2299.
That's a great price for a great machine. If you're in the market to buy one, better call your dealer quick-- MacCentral's sources claim that Apple's only going to build a few thousand of these puppies, and once they're gone, they're gone. That's a strange strategy, but hey, it's not like Apple hasn't done strange things in the past.
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SceneLink (1023)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 9/18/98 episode: September 18, 1998: Apple secretly prepares a killer low-price PowerBook G3, for release only in limited quanities. Meanwhile, it sounds as though high-end PowerBooks are finally starting to show up in users' hands, and in the U.K., a large supermarket chain puts the consumer appeal of the iMac to the test...
Other scenes from that episode: 1024: For Love or Money (9/18/98) Speaking of faults with the original PowerBook G3 Series, probably the most severe one was the fact that actually getting one's hands on one of the higher-end models was a Herculean task. In particular, the configuration with the 292 MHz processor and the 14.1" screen was so scarce, there were people who placed orders for it the week it was released way back in May who still hadn't received it by the end of August... 1025: Price Check on iMac (9/18/98) It may sound odd, but Apple's new consumer product is now being sold with consumables. In Merry Olde England, people in Cardiff and London can run down to the local supermarket to pick up a loaf of bread, a bottle of orange juice, a head of lettuce-- and an iMac...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
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