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Even More Like The VAIO (1/16/01)
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We at AtAT don't really have the attention spans for honest-to-goodness puzzles that require any real level of concentration; we prefer our puzzles short, Zen-like, and dismissible as soon as we get distracted by a shiny object. If you're anything like us, you, too, appreciate the occasional kiddie meal of fast food for thought. So here's a quickie to chew on inside your head: why did Apple include Windows-specific key combos in the PowerBook G4?
Bear with us for a minute. See, Go2Mac was digging around through Apple's Developer Tech Notes on the titanium wonder and found this intriguing graphic showing the keyboard layout. Note that when the "fn" function key is held down, the Apple/Command key turns into a Windows key (complete with the Windows logo in the graphic, if not actually in the real world). The "enter" key turns into the Windows contextual menu key. Now, on a separate keyboard like Apple's Pro Keyboard, that would make sense, since it functions perfectly well on a Wintel system with USB. (Really! Viewers have tried, and it works like a charm, other than the Media Eject key.) But why would Apple put Windows keys in the PowerBook?
If your immediate answer is the abundantly logical "so it's easier to use emulators like Virtual PC," then your conspiracy muscles need a little flexing. C'mon, have a little fun with it! Clearly Apple originally intended the new PowerBook to be a mobile Pentium-based unit running Windows 2000 because Motorola couldn't get the G4 running cool enough to work reliably in a laptop without draining the battery in thirty seconds or melting the plastic case. (There's a reason for the titanium, you know, and it's not because it's light and looks pretty.) Then Motorola came through with a mobile-friendly G4 at the last second-- too late for Apple to change the keyboard. Obvious, right? So thank your lucky stars, because we came this close to a Wintel PowerBook...
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SceneLink (2801)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 1/16/01 episode: January 16, 2001: Motorola slashes 2500 jobs and shuts down a plant-- but the G4 is doing so well! Meanwhile, Sony jumps on the "let's copy the iMac" bandwagon a little late, and why does the PowerBook G4 have Windows keys built in, as documented in an Apple Developer Tech Note?...
Other scenes from that episode: 2799: They Do Cell Phones, Too? (1/16/01) We'll be the first to admit it: we suffer from Apple Tunnel Vision. Many times we have trouble looking at something from any perspective other than that of a Mac user. For example, Motorola must be on top of the world right about now, right?... 2800: "Who Squeezed The iMac?" (1/16/01) You know, when a relatively small PC manufacturer like Future Power decides to rip off the iMac's distinctive design, Apple's course is clear: sue 'em 'til they bleed. But when a huge, multinational conglomerate known for its own prowess in the field of industrial design does something similar, we're not at all sure how Apple will react-- especially since the company in question just happens to be Steve's model for Apple's future success...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
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