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A Bug's Nightmare (9/20/98)
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Okay, we admit it-- we've been watching Apple's stock price so closely, it never occurred to us to watch Pixar's progress, too. Sometimes it's easy to forget that Steve Jobs is running two companies these days, and according to MacCentral, the "other company" isn't doing very well these days. Pixar, the company who brought the world Toy Story, has been hard at work on its next computer-animated full-length feature film, A Bug's Life, which, by all indications, should be a smash hit. So why has Pixar's stock price tumbled nearly 50% in the past few weeks?
If you watch a lot of TV or go to a lot of movies, you probably already know the answer: Antz. Antz is a new movie that, like A Bug's Life, is entirely computer-animated and features cute anthropomorphic insects with celebrity voices who do endearing things. There's one big difference between the two movies, however: Antz is being released first. You've probably seen commercials and previews all over the place, touting the film's October 2nd release date. Investors apparently feel that Antz will take a lot of wind out of the sails of Pixar's offering, and the stock price reflects that sentiment.
Now that Apple's on much more solid ground than it once was, Jobs is reportedly spending more and more time at Pixar trying to hold things together there. Is this recent crisis the catalyst that will cause Steve to announce he's finally stepping down from his "interim" position at Apple? We sure hope not, but if A Bug's Life doesn't do very well, Pixar may need a lot more of his attention, and there are only so many hours in a day...
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 9/20/98 episode: September 20, 1998: Now that Apple's on more solid ground, Steve Jobs finds himself facing another challenge at his other company. Meanwhile, the next release of the Mac OS is coming soon, a little late but moving fast, and people looking for iMac bargains might want to consider a refurbished model...
Other scenes from that episode: 1030: You Want It When? (9/20/98) We've got to admit, Apple's been pretty slick about the punctuality of its operating system releases ever since Mac OS 8 was first announced. For the most part, everything's been on time (at least technically), and when release dates slip a little, the slippage is so subtle and gradual, and Apple's got so many other cool things going on at the same time, most people don't even notice it's late... 1031: Cutting Corners (9/20/98) By now you've surely heard some people complain that the iMac, though only $1299, is "too expensive." (Frankly, we find that complaint scarcely believable, given all you get for the money, but people have different priorities.)...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
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