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Size XXXXXXXXS (6/28/99)
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"The iMac is just a toy." Boy, how many times have you heard that tired twist on the age-old argument? The notion that Macs aren't "real computers" (apparently because normal people can use them) dates back to when the Mac first appeared. Heck, Apple's attempts to fight the whole "Mac as toy" image is one of the reasons that the selection of Mac games was so poor for so long-- Apple actively discouraged Mac games development. These days, apparently Apple realizes that people buy toys, and that a playful image isn't harmful when you're selling to the consumer market. So now we've got these colorful iMacs and more new games coming out for the platform than at any other time in history-- and one glace at the sales figures confirms that there's nothing "just" about being a "toy." Of course, that doesn't mean that the iMac isn't a kick-ass computer, as well, though you won't find that little fact interfering with the anti-Mac prejudices of plenty of IT managers out there.
Anyway, we thought it fitting that, as MacCentral points out, while some people think the iMac is just a toy, apparently some toys are happy to make the iMac their own computer of choice. Kisara, a Japanese Barbie-esque doll, has been spotted wearing a "Yum" t-shirt-- a fashion statement made all the more powerful by Kisara's super-model status. There are additional photos of Kisara decked out to the nines in her iMac t-shirt and, um, helmet and goggles. (Hey, who ever said high fashion had to be practical?)
Beyond the whole cuteness factor of a doll wearing a "Yum" shirt, the very fact that an iMac t-shirt is appearing on a Japanese doll is yet another indication of just how deep the iMac's success runs. It's been reported that the iMac is enormously popular in Japan, even more so than here in the U.S. In particular, we've been told that the iMac is the first computer that's ever really sold well to Japanese women, who actually made up more than half of the iMac's Japanese customer base in the early days. Is Kisara's outward iMac fanhood just a plot to indoctrinate millions of little Japanese girls into the Cult of iMac? We certainly hope so.
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 6/28/99 episode: June 28, 1999: After a mild stumble in April, the iMac is back in the sales race with a vengeance, as it captures the number 3 spot in April's retail stats. Meanwhile, the BeOS is starting to catch on with PC manufacturers who don't feel like making Bill Gates even richer, and a doll in Japan sports iMac garb as a fashion statement...
Other scenes from that episode: 1630: Back In The Saddle (6/28/99) For those of you who thought the magic was gone, think again. Sure, April's retail sales figures told a heartbreaking story as the iMac fell out of the PC Data Top 5 for the first time since its introduction in August of last year, but hope springs eternal; while naysayers held that the iMac was on its way out, the iMac faithful quietly noted that the combined sales of all iMacs-- Bondi and fruit-flavored and every revision ever made-- actually would have taken the number one slot... 1631: Do Be Do Be Do (6/28/99) Hands up, who remembers Be? A few years ago, the BeOS was the subject of most of the buzz around the Apple water cooler; back when Apple finally saw that Copland, its semi-modern next-generation version of the Mac OS, just wasn't going to happen, Gil Amelio and co...
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