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Thankfully, Leaks Happen (6/14/99)
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As the next Macworld Expo draws ever closer, so does the introduction of what may well be the most anxiously awaited computer in Apple's history: the as-yet-to-be-named consumer portable internally referred to as "P1." And the Law of Increasing Imminence seems to be holding firm; despite Apple's best efforts at super-duper top secret Roswell-coverup-level security, minute details about the P1 are leaking out with increasing frequency as the official unveiling approaches. O'Grady's PowerPage, as usual, has the latest juicy tidbits about P1 and its subtle charms.
Apparently those of you who were holding onto a pipe dream of getting a fairly full-featured PowerBook with iMac stylings all for the magical price of under $1000 may be sorely disappointed. While Jobs desperately wanted to hit that price point, the reality of the situation prevailed, and the expected sticker price is probably closer to $1299. (Makes sense-- we can't see the iMac dropping another couple of hundred bucks anytime soon, and we have to assume that the P1 will cost a bit more than an iMac due to the "portability premium.") More bad news: in order to get the price even that low, Apple may be omitting several features the many people will consider absolutely crucial in a laptop. For instance, P1 may lack even a single PC card slot. Does anyone else sense an iMac paradigm? While both Ethernet and modem are expected to be included, the P1 sounds completely non-expandable by standard means, beyond increasing the RAM. But Apple pulled it off with the iMac, and so they may well feel that they can do it again with P1.
On the plus side, here's what you do get for your $1299 (or whatever)-- funky translucent colors, a "ruggedized" design that should be able to withstand the abuse inherent in your average schoolkid's hectic day, and possibly-- and here's the deal-clincher, folks-- a retractable handle. It's all about handles. As Apple has demonstrated with the iMac and the new Power Macs, if you build something translucent and include at least one handle, it'll sell. That's why P1 is a guaranteed smash hit. Start buying up stock now.
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 6/14/99 episode: June 14, 1999: Mac resellers are up in arms over Apple's apparent decision to override their earlier Apple Store promises. Meanwhile, more "details" of P1 paint the laptop as very much a portable iMac, in both positive and negative ways, and Microsoft pulls off their own little courtroom shocker in "Redmond Justice..."
Other scenes from that episode: 1601: Coming To A Head (6/14/99) If there weren't some tension somewhere in Apple's relation with resellers, it just wouldn't be Apple. Most recently we were all treated to a squabble over fruit flavors between the Cupertino mothership and the Great Yellow Terror, formerly known as Best Buy; piled on top of a host of other irreconcilable differences, the color clash resulted in the severance of what should have been a powerful partnership... 1603: The Other Side of Drama (6/14/99) Sometimes while watching "Redmond Justice," it's easy to forget that Microsoft is capable of pulling off a courtroom shock play, too. Sure, in most cases the really interesting developments in the ongoing antitrust trial originate from the government side and Smilin' Dave Boies: the event that first springs to mind is how he spotted that Microsoft's videotaped Windows speed test was a fake...
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