|
Look To The East (10/19/99)
|
 
|
| | |
When the iMac first debuted in August of last year, it was a sales sensation. As the numbers because available, the naysayers who had predicted a dismal flop were forced to recant. And the iMac stayed in the top-five list of computers sold in retail for many, many months, showing that it had some serious staying power. Unfortunately, in recent months, the iMac has slipped off that list. Apparently the novelty wore thin, and consumers went with much cheaper systems from the Wintel world instead. That's why we were all so anxious for Apple to release the new "Kihei" iMacs, which promised to revitalize sales by introducing unprecedented value and an even snazzier-looking enclosure. Now that "Kihei" is out (and even sort of available!), we all just have to sit back and wait for the sales numbers to roll in. Will the new iMac be able to break back into the Top Five?
Well, while you're waiting for that little drama to play out, you can certainly feel good about the iMac's performance in Japan. According to MacInTouch, last Sunday it was revealed that iMacs had definitely shown up in Japan's top-ten list of desktop computers. In fact, the iMac pretty much is the top-ten list. That's right; you can look at the data (in Japanese, but understandable nonetheless) from ComputerNews yourself. iMacs of various flavors and speeds account for nine out of ten slots; the only non-iMac on the list is number 5-- the Power Macintosh G4/400. We'll say one thing about the Japanese: they have excellent taste.
So whether or not the iMac manages to claw its cute little way back up the charts here in the U.S., you can rest assured that it's kicking some serious butt in the Land of the Rising Sun. But given that six of the nine iMacs on the Japanese top-ten list are new iMac DV systems, we think this bodes well for the little guy's performance here in the States as well. There's also the little matter of seeing lots and lots of iMac commercials on the tube these days, and as everyone knows, TV is the solution to every problem. So bring it on, PC Data-- we're primed and ready.
| |
| |
 |
SceneLink (1854)
|  |
 |
 | | The above scene was taken from the 10/19/99 episode: October 19, 1999: As we wait for the U.S. sales numbers to start rolling in, the new iMac is selling like hotcakes in Japan. Meanwhile, Valve Software cancels the almost-finished Mac port of their Half-Life game because we Mac gamers "will never be happy," and "Redmond Justice" discovers the key to higher ratings is chronological vagueness...
Other scenes from that episode: 1855: Half-Life? No-Life (10/19/99) Sigh... Every time we think Apple's managed to get its act together on this whole games issue, something happens to show just how far the Mac has to go before it reaches critical mass as a gaming platform... 1856: How To Boost Ratings (10/19/99) Are you ready for the next big event in the ongoing antitrust saga known as "Redmond Justice"? No, it's not Judge Jackson's ruling on which side wins, but it's almost as good; the judge is slated to issue his "findings of fact" soon, which is basically his view of who did what to whom, when, and to what degree...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
|
|
