Natural Selection (9/28/98)
SceneLink
 

The actual evolution of the iMac will occur as Apple rolls out new versions of the little blue lump, keeping features beneficial to its survival in a "dog-eat-dog" marketplace, possibly ditching useless appendages, and hazarding new genetic tweaks that may further boost its position in the silicon food chain. There have been rumors galore about just what we'll see when the iMac II rolls off the assembly lines, though nothing's yet written in stone. Bigger screen? Custom colors? Pre-loaded VirtualPC? Free matching steam iron? Your guess is as good as anyone's at this point.

However, as longtime viewers will no doubt recall, we at AtAT believe the single biggest evolutionary advantage that the iMac could sprout would be a decent 3D accelerator. The Rage II on the iMac's motherboard is the single component of the iMac which is last year's technology inside of next year's computer. Don't believe us? Would you believe the games themselves? For instance, fire up Unreal on an iMac and it will tell you that it detects the presence of a Rage II chip, but since that processor is so slow, the game will use the software renderer instead. The iMac is currently the only shipping Mac to use the Rage II chip, now that even the PowerBook G3 series is using the three-times-faster Rage Pro instead. Isn't it a tad askew that Apple's only consumer Mac is also its only Mac that is hobbled for playing today's hottest 3D games? (Worse yet, there's no way to add a decent 3D accelerator to the iMac, due to the lack of PCI slots; we're still waiting for that Perch-compatible Voodoo card to be announced.)

However, it sounds like Apple may finally have been convinced of the importance of good 3D games performance in a consumer machine. According to Mac the Knife, the iMac II will contain a "swank new ATI video chip" and 6 MB of video RAM. Whether that "swank" new chip is the existing Rage Pro or the upcoming Rage 128, we'd be thrilled either way. We know from personal experience that a 6MB SGRAM Rage Pro-equipped Power Mac G3/266 plays Unreal very well, so the iMac II should be able to hold its own. If this all turns out to be true, we're betting dollars to donuts that ex-MacSoft dude Peter Tamte, Apple's new Senior Director of Consumer Marketing, was instrumental in getting better games performance into the new iMac. Rock on, Peter. (Now what about those of us with current iMacs?...)


 
SceneLink (1042)
And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors
 

Mash-ups and original music by AtAT's former Intern and Goddess-in-Training

Prim M at YouTube

 

The above scene was taken from the 9/28/98 episode:

September 28, 1998: Several prominent Mac rumors sites are on hiatus due to "personal matters;" do we detect the faint scent of ninja in the breeze? Meanwhile, daredevil developers continue to push the iMac envelope with more upcoming expansion cards for the verboten Perch slot, and the forthcoming iMac II may well gain a zippy 3D chip and more SGRAM...

Other scenes from that episode:

  • 1040: Ninja Attack II? (9/28/98)   The first thing we want to address on our return from our unscheduled hiatus is a growing conspiracy theory among AtAT viewers about Macintosh-oriented rumors sites. Several of you found it "noteworthy" that the two largest rumors sites-- Mac OS Rumors and MacNN Reality-- are both currently missing in action, and that AtAT has been static throughout roughly the same time period...

  • 1041: Adapting Adeptly (9/28/98)   See, technology is cool because its "lifeforms" evolve almost organically, but at a vastly accelerated pace. For example, it's amazing to watch the evolution of the iMac-- or actually, the adaptation of the iMac to its user environment...

Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast...

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)

As an Amazon Associate, AtAT earns from qualifying purchases

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).