Depending on your lifestyle, we've got some good news and some potentially bad news about the upcoming consumer portable, code-named "P1" and expected to be dubbed the "WebMate" when it surfaces. The good news is, according to Apple Insider, the P1 is still on track for an official introduction late next month or in early May. The potentially bad news is that the P1 may not be as consumer-targeted as originally expected. Remember, the P1 has always been represented by Apple as the fourth quadrant of its pro/consumer-desktop/portable product strategy; the pro desktop is the Power Mac G3, the pro portable is the PowerBook G3 Series, the consumer desktop is the iMac, and the consumer portable will eventually be the P1. Or so we thought.

Now it appears that Apple may be refocusing the P1 and positioning it more as an educational laptop than as just an iMac-styled low-cost consumer system. Apple Insider sources claim that the P1 is referred to as the "Student Notebook" or "School Book" within Apple's walls. This isn't necessarily a problem, though we're just a little bit concerned that Apple will pull an "eMate" and initially not offer the P1 outside of educational channels. We doubt they'd pull that kind of stunt after plainly stating that we're to expect a consumer portable, but on the off-chance they do, it could mean an extra couple of months before working stiffs can get their hands on a P1. Think of other cool stuff that was only available to education buyers initially; the toothy-looking G3 All-in-one springs to mind. And if for some reason Steve Jobs loses his mind and restricts sales of the P1 to education only, well, we're going to have to quit our jobs and go back to school. Or better yet, knock down some school kid and take his P1. Heck, kids are small-- it shouldn't be too tough.

More than likely, though, the education focus just means that if you're a student, you might win big in the price category, and if you're a poor working slob like us, you might have to shell out some extra cash for a P1; even if it does ship to consumers as soon as the first models roll off the lines, it's more than likely that the price will be substantially higher at, say, CompUSA than it will be on the educational price list. But in terms of the P1 itself, it also means that we can all look forward to a Mac OS-based laptop with many of the education-friendly features that made the eMate so darn cool-- translucent colored plastics, instant-on technology, extended battery life, and a shock-proof construction that takes a licking and keeps on ticking. And a handle-- don't forget the handle. It's all about handles. From a design perspective, Apple's making a smart decision; after all, who in the consumer market needs a laptop more than anyone else? The students in the family.