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Slippy, Like The Wind (3/18/99)
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Speaking of the iMac, something very interesting is going on within Apple's walls. We've been hearing whispers from all over starting as early as a month ago that Apple was ceasing production of various iMac flavors, but over time, those whispers have coalesced into a rumor that Apple Insider addresses directly. Essentially, at this point it looks as though Apple has decided to axe the entire line of flavored iMacs from its production lists.
We haven't gone iMac shopping lately, but we hear that finding an iMac in the color of one's choice can be tough. Indeed, the last time we checked out the local Microcenter, they had a huge stack of iMacs for sale-- but only in Tangerine and Strawberry. According to Apple Insider, Apple has been having a tough time producing enough flavored iMacs, possibly due to a shortage of the required 266 MHz G3 processors. In order to meet demand, Apple is expected to introduce a "revision D" iMac next month which will use 300 MHz chips, which Apple can buy in bulk with no availability headaches. (Incidentally, we haven't heard whether or not 266 MHz PowerBooks are also tough to find, but Apple is definitely trying to clear out all of their PowerBook inventory in preparation for new models to be introduced next month or so.)
If true, this all means that Apple will be issuing its fourth revision of the iMac only about six months after the very first ones showed up on store shelves. How's that for a quick product revision cycle? The iMac changes its spec sheet more often than Windows NT 5 (er, make that Windows 2000) changes release dates. The new iMacs will reportedly include some new features in addition to the faster processor, though they won't be the "mega-iMacs" with the new enclosures that were expected at the end of the summer. Our guess is that Apple may include Rage 128 chips in next month's rev. D, and they might increase the disk space and/or RAM amount. Of course, any or all of those changes might necessitate a price increase, and we doubt that Apple would spoil the iMac's momentum by raising the price, so the rev. D feature set is very much a "wait and see" thing right now.
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SceneLink (1408)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 3/18/99 episode: March 18, 1999: Games developers are seeing that Apple is finally getting things right. Meanwhile, the current flavored iMacs may be on their way out, and Apple's making progress in retaining its traditionally strong hold on the education market...
Other scenes from that episode: 1407: All Work and No Play (3/18/99) Tired of using your Mac just to get work done? Then warm up your thumbs and prime those reflexes, because it's not just lip service anymore; when Apple said they wanted to make the Macintosh the best gaming platform on the planet, they apparently weren't kidding... 1409: School Daze (3/18/99) Historically, even though its overall market share has never been higher than perhaps 10%, Apple has dominated two important markets: graphics creation and education. During Apple's "bad patch" a few years back, both of those markets started to shift towards Windows; some graphics professionals wanted the "stability" of Windows NT, and many schools simply couldn't afford Macs...
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