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All In It Together (2/2/98)
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And speaking of conspiracy theories, Chicago Tribune columnist James Coates seems to have been bitten by the paranoia bug himself, recently. In a long and rambling article, he builds his case that Apple's breakup of Claris was in fact a "ransom payment" to Microsoft.
Jim's paranoid rant goes something like this: ClarisWorks Office (which Jim repeatedly refers to as "Claris Office," but we won't hold it against him) is a serious competitor to Microsoft Office, both on the Mac and the Wintel side, due to its speed and modest requirements versus the best bloatware Microsoft was able to ship. (We don't necessarily agree with this premise-- is ClarisWorks seriously threatening MS Office?) Steve Jobs knows this is a thorn in Bill Gates' side, so he gets Bill on the phone and says, "Hey, tell you what-- release Office 98 for the Mac first, and I'll make sure ClarisWorks Office fades quietly away." The Mac platform gets a much-needed "legitimacy" boost (Apple's even running ads that say, "Think First. Microsoft Office 98 is here, and it only runs on Macintosh."), and Bill gets all the cash from the millions of Mac users who flock to buy Office 98 instead of ClarisWorks Office while black helicopters hover overhead.
Way to go, Jim! We didn't know you had it in you! The next step is to avoid fluoridated water and toothpaste, PGP-encrypt everything from your tax returns to your shopping lists, and never leave the house without wearing a dark, wide-brimmed hat to foil the satellite photos. Follow this strict regimen, and soon you'll be as paranoid as we are.
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SceneLink (416)
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 2/2/98 episode: February 2, 1998: Feverish whispers tell of a prototype G4 Powermac that leaves current G3 offerings choking on its dust. Meanwhile, Apple confirms that it's dropped all national resellers except for CompUSA, amid what can only be described as "suspicious circumstances," and James Coates uncovers a fiendish Redmond plot to deep-six Claris while Apple's down...
Other scenes from that episode: 414: Whooooooooooooosshh! (2/2/98) So, uh, you think those new-fangled G3 Powermacs are fast, hmmmmm? Zippy little numbers that let you feel the wind in your hair? Well, prepare to break the sound barrier-- Mac OS Rumors has a little sneak preview of the Mac of Tomorrow, and its performance is amazing... 415: All Its Macs In One Basket (2/2/98) It's official-- Apple's formally announced that it made a conscious decision to pull out of Best Buy, Computer City, and all other national retailers except for CompUSA, who is now the exclusive national reseller of Macintosh computers...
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