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Supercomputer-To-Go (9/15/99)
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Okay, let's see... Apple's got four product lines. The "Consumer Portable" line was just launched in July, with the debut of the iBook, which is now shipping. The "Consumer Desktop" is the iMac, which has been refreshed with better pricing and/or new features no fewer than three times in the year since its introduction, and a fully-revamped "iMac 2" code-named "Kihei" is reportedly due for unveiling some time next month. Then there's the "Professional Desktop" line, which has just turned the world on its ear by replacing the already-speedy Power Mac G3 with the weapons-class G4, available now in a low-end configuration, with higher-octane versions due over the course of the next two months. So is there nothing left for rumor junkies to speculate about?
Hey, don't forget the "Professional Portable"! The Powerbook G3 got a speed boost and a crash diet plan last May when the "bronze" models replaced the originals: G3 processors running at 333 and 400 MHz in an enclosure that's nearly two pounds lighter and 20% thinner, with longer battery life, to boot. And while May wasn't that long ago, it's far enough back to shift the Mac community's powers of speculation to focus on what's next for the Powerbook. Enter Mac OS Rumors, with their super-early preliminary "absolutely subject to change" specs on the Powerbook G4, assumed to be gearing up for a debut next May. Here's the short list: G4 running at 400-550 MHz, 100 MHz bus, 14" or 15" screen, even thinner than the current "bronze" G3 by another 25%, lighter by at least a pound, 2x AGP Rage Mobility graphics, on-board FireWire, and all starting at just $1899.
Now, as far as we know, these specs might be nothing more than pie-in-the-sky semi-educated guesses instead of anything based on actual fact. But that's how this game is always played; expect the Powerbook G4 rumors to grow and spread, and as the release date draws ever nearer, the specs will start to solidify into something reasonably close to what Steve reveals on stage. We've got at least seven months yet, so don't get impatient. By the way, if the U.S. doesn't alter its export restrictions by the time the Powerbook G4 ships, does that mean a business traveler couldn't tote his new "portable supercomputer" on business trips to "sensitive" countries?
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SceneLink (1784)
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 9/15/99 episode: September 15, 1999: The iBook is shipping, but that doesn't mean you'll necessarily be able to get one right away. Meanwhile, Apple works to lift the export ban on its new G4s, and what happens when you stick a gigaflop into a sleek black case that weighs less than five pounds?...
Other scenes from that episode: 1782: Get In Line, Buddy (9/15/99) So is everybody rejoicing over the news that the iBook is finally shipping? As most of you know, Steve Jobs just announced that the first consumer portables off Apple's assembly lines (or, perhaps more accurately, off the lines of the third-party firm actually building the things) have started on their merry way to retailers all over the country, as well as to customers who placed pre-orders at the Apple Store... 1783: If Only Kafka Had Had One (9/15/99) Meanwhile, everyone's favorite new computing munition continues to strike awe into the hearts of those who witness its gigaflop performance first-hand. The Power Macintosh G4 even sort of looks like a weapon, with its "graphite" color reminding us quite a bit of gun-metal grey...
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