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The Going Price Of Nostalgia (1/30/03)
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Speaking of the ongoing tussle between Mac OS X and Mac OS 9, remember how Apple announced that all new Macs introduced starting this month would no longer boot into 9? Remember also how Quark is now so late porting XPress, it's become evident that the process is being undertaken by two monkeys with typewriters on loan from the Complete Works of Shakespeare Project and some guy named Lou who once programmed an Excel macro in a business school class with Fred Ebrahimi's nephew? And surely you recall that since XPress is the life's blood to a sizeable segment of Apple's pro customer base, in order to keep its sales from stagnating still further Apple was forced to be a little lenient with its Mac OS X-only plans.
Well, we now know what form Apple's compromise has taken-- and we know just how much of an Obsolescence Tax Apple expects professionals to cough up if they insist upon buying 9-bootable Power Macs. If you wander over to the Apple Store and take a gander at the Power Macs, you'll notice that Apple has added a discreet new link to the right-hand side of the page: "Mac OS 9 Systems. Click Here." Do as it says and you'll find that Apple is offering a 9-booting dual-1.25 GHz system with half a gig of RAM, a 120 GB hard drive, and a SuperDrive for the low low price of only $2499. So if your business relies on Quark (or some other 9-only software) and you desperately need a new Power Mac or two, Apple's got you covered.
Of course, there are a couple of catches. First, this is obviously last year's model, aka the G4 Windtunnel that's taken more eardrums than Smashing Pumpkins and Aerosmith combined; that means that in addition to risking permanent hearing loss, you'd also be forgoing all the architectural improvements in the latest systems, like the Xserve-based system controller, FireWire 800, AirPort Extreme compatibility, internal Bluetooth support, a faster SuperDrive, etc. On top of that, you'll pay a premium for buying older gear: configure a new Power Mac with the same general specs as the Mac OS 9 dealie and you'd pay just $2399-- meaning that, in addition to giving up all the latest toys, you'll have to fork over an extra Bennie for the privilege.
Assuming you can't stick it out with your current gear until your required apps finally get Carbonized, clinging to Mac OS 9 is becoming an increasingly pricey strategy. What we want to know is whether there's really a market out there willing to pay extra for last year's equipment, because we just can't see anyone actually buying one of these things at Apple's asking price. If the idea of purchasing older equipment for more money has you reaching for your checkbook, though, have we got a deal for you: a Power Mac from two years ago, which we'll let go for the special price of just $2699. (We've also got a Macintosh SE that's a whopping thirteen years old, but trust us, there's no way you could afford it without taking out a second mortgage...)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 1/30/03 episode: January 30, 2003: Does Apple's latest LCD display really require Jaguar to work? Meanwhile, Apple will sell you last year's Power Macs for a mere $100 more than the current models, and U.S. teachers score again, this time with an iLife-Keynote bundle that's just about cheaper than dirt...
Other scenes from that episode: 3907: Pretty Steep Requirements (1/30/03) Starved for Apple-flavored angst in the tedium-soaked wake of yet another bygone Stevenote? Perhaps the new Power Macs aren't providing enough fodder for you. In days gone by, Mac fanatics would jump at the chance to criticize a new Power Mac's speed boost as trivial, laughable, or downright ruinous in the face of the ever-advancing Intel juggernaut, and indeed, one would think that this latest boost to 1.42 GHz would stir all manner of online punditry bemoaning Apple's continuing inability to scare up clock speeds even half of what's available from the Dark Side... 3909: Teachers Score Yet Again (1/30/03) For the love of Pete's knees, teachers sure are getting the sweet end of the Apple-flavored lollipop these days! In addition to qualifying for reduced educational pricing on all Apple gear (as per the usual), you may recall that last October Apple launched the "X for Teachers" program, which sought to distribute copies of Mac OS X 10.2 to all qualifying U.S. and Canadian K-12 teachers for free...
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