|
The iMac: Premature Burial (1/22/01)
|
 
|
| | |
We've been watching this whole "new iMac" plot thread and we've decided that it lacks drama. Pretty much everyone already knows what's going to happen, right? After all, Steve admits to the world that Apple dropped the ball on CD-RW drives, the company introduces new Power Macs with CD-RW drives built in, it releases the exceptionally consumer-friendly iTunes product, and then the existing iMacs all start showing up in reseller inventory systems as "end of life." Suspenseful? Hardly. This is more predictable than your average episode of Gilligan's Island. "Ooooh, do you think they're going to make it off the island this time??"
So, for those of you who are bored silly by the sheer predictability of the whole "iMacs with CD-RWs probably within a month" deal, we've decided to throw a little gravel in the works, just to keep things zesty. Faithful viewer Hes Nikke just so happens to work at CompUSA (or so he claims!), and he reports that while the iMacs were listed as D01 ("discontinued by manufacturer"), they've suddenly come back from the dead. As of two days ago, apparently those iMacs are now back to being A01 ("normal stock"). 'Taint funny, McGee!
Why the change? According to Hes's manager, one of the higher-ups goofed and the iMacs should never have been D01'd in the first place; the error was caught, and things are now back to the way they're supposed to be. Now isn't that interesting? Of course, there are plenty of other scenarios that could explain the shift equally well. Perhaps Apple's having trouble getting its hands on enough slot-loading CD-RW drives to make a quick switchover. Maybe some other planned iMac feature upgrade (G4 processors, anyone?) is causing a delay. Or maybe Hes is yanking our collective chain in the first place, and the iMacs are still D01. Who knows? But if he is telling the truth, that still doesn't explain why all those other resellers also had the iMacs listed as "end of life." Still, it makes you think, doesn't it?
| |
| |
 |
SceneLink (2812)
|  |
 |
|
And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
| | | |
|
| |
|
 | | The above scene was taken from the 1/22/01 episode: January 22, 2001: Now that the PowerBook is the sleek and sexy almost-a-subnotebook, what will the CubeBook turn out to be? Meanwhile, a dull plotline gets a bit of 'zazz as a CompUSA employee reports that iMacs are no longer designated as "discontinued by manufacturer," and the Cube is reduced to being a prize in a Nabisco sweepstakes contest...
Other scenes from that episode: 2811: A World Of Possibilities (1/22/01) Okay, sure, there's always a period of sadness after a Macworld Expo; all the anticipation and excitement has built to a climax, Steve has said his piece, the new gear graces the pages of the Apple Store and begs to be purchased-- and for Apple watchers, it's back to the humdrum world of business as usual... 2813: New Nabisco WheatyCubes (1/22/01) If there were a "Coolest Apple Product That No One's Buying" award, few would disagree that the Power Mac G4 Cube would be a shoo-in for the prize. That's an exaggeration, of course, and Apple claims that following its price reduction initiatives, the Cube is actually selling reasonably well these days-- though it's not going to break any records...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
|
|
