Sigh... is it possible? Has all the magic gone out of the time-honored practice of calling attention to Mike Dell's psychotic obsession with copying Apple's every move? After all, faithful viewer Dave Burgis pointed out the man's latest "homage"-- a new computer called the "SmartStep"-- and frankly, we're having trouble working up any real enthusiasm. Okay, sure, the Associated Press reports that the SmartStep (Dell's only non-build-to-order computer) contains a low-end 1 GHz Celeron chip, 128 MB of RAM, a 20 GB hard drive, a modem, and the much-maligned 15-inch CRT monitor. Yes, it's true that those specs are at least slightly reminiscent of the entry-level iMac. Yes, the SmartStep's $599 price tag is targeted pretty squarely at the same market as Apple's lowest-cost consumer offering. But really... so what?

We admit, though, the way in which Dell is targeting those frugal consumers is a little more interesting; apparently ol' Mike is now delegating the copycat behavior, because in a Dell press release, it's Dell's veep of consumer sales John Hamlin who states that "for about the cost of two movie tickets and popcorn every month, customers can own a Dell SmartStep 100D. That's unprecedented." Well, maybe the offer is unprecedented, but the way in which it's phrased is not. Allow us to quote Steve Jobs from 1998: "For the price of three pizzas a month, you can own an iMac." No, the practice of comparing monthly loan payments on an entry-level consumer-oriented computer to the cost of entertainment and/or foodstuffs is not new. Still, even this evidence of Mike's deepening obsession leaves us somewhat cold.

How about faithful viewer Chris Lawson's discovery that Dell is now also "offering removable plates for its new Inspiron 4100 notebooks in 18 colors, patterns, and textures" (as reported by ZDNet News)? Again, it's just a crib of the "bookcovers" feature that Apple shipped way back in 1996 in the PowerBook 1400 (hmmm... 4100... 1400... subtlety's a lost art)-- so about the only thing noteworthy about this news is that Dell is copying an Apple move from before the Second Jobs Dynasty, but even that's happened before. On the other hand, we're pretty sure Apple holds a patent on the bookcovers feature, so maybe this will at least spawn a fun little lawsuit.

Eh, maybe we're just in a crummy mood; it happens every time it starts getting dark at 4:30 in the afternoon. Still, we perk up a little when we consider that Mike Dell's Apple-obsession is apparently spreading to other manufacturers. Faithful viewer Jeff directed us to a CNET article which reveals that beleaguered PC manufacturer Gateway is now hoping to distinguish itself from the rest of the Wintel herd by embracing "a very obvious focus on LCDs" in its desktop product line. Gee, where have we seen that before?