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Made In Taiwan (5/25/99)
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So you want to know the real details about Apple's upcoming consumer portable? Hey, who doesn't? The simple fact is, Apple has the project encased in a Cone of Secrecy so dense, not even light can escape; if they hadn't announced that such a product was even in the works, we doubt any info about its progress would have been picked up by the press. Remember how the iMac stunned the world? The way that Apple's managed to keep most "iBook" details under wraps for over a year while everyone's trying to sneak a peek is impressive, to say the least.
But that doesn't mean the occasional fourth-hand detail doesn't worm its way through the Translucent Curtain-- of course, sometimes you have to go halfway around the world to find a spot weak enough to penetrate. The latest buzz all emanates from a story in an Asian business journal, which claims that Apple has selected a third-party manufacturer to build the iBooks, in much the same way that LG Electronics now produces the iMac. The lucky winner of the iBook contract is reportedly Alpha Top of Taiwan, who, as related by a CNET article, plans to begin production in June; if all goes according to plan, then an unveiling at July's Macworld Expo is virtually guaranteed (though we expected that, anyway).
As for what that means regarding an actual ship date, we're personally skeptical that units will be available for sale in time for the Expo. As the CNET article points out, the company that's producing the new "bronze" PowerBooks started working on them in March, and they still haven't shipped; if the iBooks follow a similar timeline, then they might well follow in the iMac's footsteps and inherit an August 15th launch date. Not that we wouldn't welcome an earlier addition to our Mac family-- heck, we'd buy the demo unit from Steve Jobs after his keynote if he'd sell it to us. Are you listening, Steve? Cash in hand, and no one else needs to know. Meet us in the alley next to Zen Palate on Broadway after the speech and we'll make the exchange. We'll even buy you a vegan meal for your trouble. How can you pass up an offer like that?
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 5/25/99 episode: May 25, 1999: Reports from an Asian business publication indicate that production of Apple's consumer portable will start next month in Taiwan. Meanwhile, Apple gears up for the customer support onslaught that will commence when iBooks start flying off the shelves, and photos from Japan show what appears to be a glowing Apple logo on the new "bronze" PowerBooks...
Other scenes from that episode: 1560: (800) SOS-iBOOK? (5/25/99) Is Apple expecting to sell a lot of consumer portables? Well, unless their legendary poor forecasting makes a stunning surprise reappearance, we would definitely think so. We don't know just how many iMacs have been sold since they first hit the shelves last August, but we're guessing the number is somewhere close to a million and a half-- maybe two million... 1561: Illuminating Photos (5/25/99) Call us crazy, call us incurably optimistic, call us certifiably insane-- we refuse to let the dream die. We're talking about light-up Macs. Over a year ago, when the iMac was first introduced, early reports indicated that the whole translucent case lit up when the system was in use...
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