So you say you're sick of "Dell Copies Apple" stories? Heck, so are we; after all, if you think it's bad hearing the same basic story thirty times a year, just imagine what it's like to tell it over and over again. Luckily, sometimes we get a nice little variation on the theme-- like when, say, Gateway copies Apple instead. Ahhh... it's like a cool breeze on a hot summer day. Can't you just feel the refreshment?

That's not to say that we haven't incorporated "Gateway Copies Apple" elements into AtAT's plot before, of course, particularly on the portable end; the company's had iBook copycats and Pismo lookalikes, but it's been a while since we've delved into that particular cliché. So when faithful viewer AJM pointed out a Forbes article about how The Cow hopes to claw (er, hoof) its way out of the hole in which it finds itself by introducing a "new look" that makes its systems "prettier, shinier, sleeker, and more like the sets on Star Trek: Voyager," well, you can't blame us for getting a little suspicious.

Indeed, while a quick peek over at Gateway's pages revealed what looked to us to be a treasure trove of not-unexpected TiBooky goodness (they call it a "sleek platinum look"), we're not the only ones who spotted the similarity. Forbes was kind enough to concur, noting that Gateway's last-ditch effort to sell a few more machines before spiralling into the abyss has resulted in notebooks that, "with their shiny, futuristic look, bear a passing resemblance to the Titanium G4 laptops released by Apple Computer." Released over fifteen months ago, we might add. But that's Gateway: over a year late, but moving fast.

Meanwhile, if you took a lot of guff from Gateway fans back in 1997 or thereabouts because Apple was "going out of business," feel free to call them up and gloat unattractively; not only is Gateway still copying Apple's designs, but the company is also now losing money (while Apple's making a profit) and shipping fewer systems than Apple is. No joke; Apple says it sold 813,000 Macs last quarter, while Gateway only shipped 645,000 cowboxes. Of course, there's the fact that Apple's 813,000 Macs were sold worldwide, while Gateway's 645,000 number is for U.S. sales only-- but considering that Gateway pretty much shut down its overseas operations last August and claims that it's "no longer actively selling its products" in the UK, Australia, Japan, etc., we figure those 645,000 domestic systems basically do represent the company's total units sold worldwide.

In other words, yes, Apple appears to be kicking Gateway's flank steaks up one wall and down the other. Yeah, who's beleaguered now, punk?