Countdown To Buffy (& 10.1) (9/5/01)
SceneLink
 

Holy cats, we're already five days into September, and you know what that means: less than three weeks until the start of syndicated Buffy episodes on fx! Oh, and for those of you who insist on remaining strictly on-topic, it also heralds the imminent release of Mac OS X 10.1. Personally, we're more excited about the former than the latter. Don't get us wrong; we're anxiously awaiting the arrival of a version of Apple's next-generation operating system that reacts more quickly than a banana slug on methadone, and we will indeed party down when said day arrives. It's just a matter of priorities, and the prospect of first- and second-season Buffy exploits five times a week has us all aflutter. After all, sure, we're looking forward to DVD playback in an Aqua environment, but on the other hand, it's been a really long time since we've seen a floppy-haired Xander almost get his head bitten off by a giant amorous praying mantis posing as a substitute teacher.

Still, Buffy's syndication debut has a hard-and-fast date of September 24th, and thus lacks the necessary uncertainty to fuel frenzied speculation. Meanwhile, all we know about Mac OS X 10.1 is that Steve told us it would ship "in September." Pretty much all we can say for certain, then, is that we can now safely amend that to "in September, but not on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or (probably) 5th." That leaves the rest of the month wide open for all of you to start your little office pools. If you do, we suggest charging extra for the September 25th and 26th squares, since those dates mark the Apple keynotes at Seybold and Apple Expo respectively, and as such are heavily favored by the odds.

But what's this? In addition to having published lengthy excerpts from reader reports on recent prerelease builds of 10.1 (and really, who doesn't need a screenshot of a giant Brightness icon to jazz up his or her humdrum existence?), Mac OS Rumors has added a little note identifying Apple's current targeted 10.1 release date as being Thursday, September 13th. Of course, there are the usual caveats about possible delays and last-minute show-stopper bugs, but if you put any stock in MOSR's recon and the 13th still isn't taken in your office 10.1 release pool, you may want to snap it up before the oddsmakers notice and jack up the price.

Speaking of unconfirmed 10.1 rumors, you may have noticed some widespread grumbling inspired by Apple's decision to charge customers $20 for the "free" 10.1 upgrade; Apple claims it's for shipping and handling, while the complainers somewhat validly argue that it's rather incongruous of the company to charge anything for an upgrade that essentially makes Mac OS X finally work like it should have in the first place. Well, last month we floated a suggestion that Apple consider giving away the 10.1 update CDs to customers who stop in at its retail stores armed with a Mac OS X proof of purchase-- and since then, we've heard several unconfirmed reports that Apple plans to do just that. Again, these are entirely unconfirmed reports and we're not putting much stock in them, but if they turn out to be true, then at least those of you near an Apple boutique might be able to get your hands on 10.1 for the cost of the round-trip gas money. If it turns out to be true and it was our suggestion that saves you a couple of sawbucks, don't applaud-- just buy a t-shirt. Or send us blank videotapes, because we're going to need 'em once fx-Buffy kicks in.


 
SceneLink (3284)
And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors
 

Mash-ups and original music by AtAT's former Intern and Goddess-in-Training

Prim M at YouTube

 

The above scene was taken from the 9/5/01 episode:

September 5, 2001: It's September-- almost time for syndicated Buffy and Mac OS X 10.1. Meanwhile, a financial analyst actually says nice things about Apple even during these troubled economic times, and AtAT is showing up in some unexpected-- and possibly unwelcome-- places these days...

Other scenes from that episode:

  • 3285: See? They Aren't ALL Bad (9/5/01)   As you are all likely well aware, Mac fans typically don't get along terribly well with financial analysts-- or, should we say, with those entities that the rest of the world calls "financial analysts," but that we more commonly refer to as "scum-sucking sleaze-weasels."...

  • 3286: You Can Quote Us On That (9/5/01)   Ah, the dark side of fame! When we set out to take over the world by crafting an intensely popular and hypnotic 'net soap capable of holding hordes of dutiful minions in our thrall, little did we suspect that someday we'd start seeing our own timeless words appearing in surprising and occasionally unwelcome places...

Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast...

Vote Early, Vote Often!
Why did you tune in to this '90s relic of a soap opera?
Nostalgia is the next best thing to feeling alive
My name is Rip Van Winkle and I just woke up; what did I miss?
I'm trying to pretend the last 20 years never happened
I mean, if it worked for Friends, why not?
I came here looking for a receptacle in which to place the cremated remains of my deceased Java applets (think about it)

(1233 votes)

Like K-pop, but only know the popular stuff? Expand your horizons! Prim M recommends underrated K-pop tunes based on YOUR taste!

Prim M's Playlist

DISCLAIMER: AtAT was not a news site any more than Inside Edition was a "real" news show. We made Dawson's Creek look like 60 Minutes. We engaged in rampant guesswork, wild speculation, and pure fabrication for the entertainment of our viewers. Sure, everything here was "inspired by actual events," but so was Amityville II: The Possession. So lighten up.

Site best viewed with a sense of humor. AtAT is not responsible for lost or stolen articles. Keep hands inside car at all times. The drinking of beverages while watching AtAT is strongly discouraged; AtAT is not responsible for damage, discomfort, or staining caused by spit-takes or "nosers."

Everything you see here that isn't attributed to other parties is copyright ©,1997-2024 J. Miller and may not be reproduced or rebroadcast without his explicit consent (or possibly the express written consent of Major League Baseball, but we doubt it).