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Downgrade, Will Robinson! (8/31/04)
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We're sure you must be in a state of iMac G5 Overload by now, given that every sentient being on this plane of existence is weighing in with an opinion, so how about we switch gears for a while? Let's see, here, in terms of other plot choices, we've got... irretrievable data loss and Hewlett-Packard turning iPods into bling-bling. And since you're probably pretty hPodded out, too, why don't we stick with the data loss? That's always good for a laugh or two. (Besides, what can we possibly say about P. Diddy's diamond-encrusted iPod that would make the situation seem any more ludicrous than "P. Diddy has a diamond-encrusted iPod"?)
So, data loss it is: MacMinute reports that Apple has pulled the Virex 7.5 updater that was posted as a free update for .Mac users recently, citing "customer feedback and technical issues currently under investigation." The posted version of Virex has reverted to 7.2.1, and Apple has even gone so far as to provide a special script to uninstall 7.5 if you've already loaded it up. For some reason that gives us roughly the same sort of feeling as a flight attendant walking into the cabin at 30,000 feet and saying "just a little turbulence, folks, nothing at all to worry about-- and on a completely unrelated topic, just out of curiosity, does anyone here have any piloting experience?"
So just what are these "technical issues," you ask? Apple's not saying, but faithful viewer Mike Yenco updated to version 7.5 before it had been pulled-- and once he did, Virex deleted everything in his Mail inbox. We have reason to believe that Mike's situation isn't exactly unique, either, which would certainly explain Apple's "suggestion" that anyone who managed to upgrade before the file was pulled immediately downgrade before someone puts an eye out. (Gee, just imagine what sort of "customer feedback" Apple received from .Mac members who, for their 99 clams a year, had their inboxes scrambled like an egg white omelette?)
We here at the AtAT compound actually dodged a bullet on this one, folks, because we downloaded the update last week and even started to install it, but then canceled the installation when informed that a restart would be necessary. (No way are we resetting our uptime just to update virus software we don't need to run anyway.) In fact, we still have the updater in our Downloads folder, and you can be sure we'll be shredding that sucker into its component bits before it causes anyone any grief. Considering that our AtAT inbox contains 7,946 messages (3,424 of them unread), you can bet that our own "customer feedback" to Apple would have involved a baseball bat with a nail sticking out of it.
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SceneLink (4893)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 8/31/04 episode: August 31, 2004: It's finally here: the iMac G5 hits the runway in Paris. Meanwhile, Apple's ability to cram a G5 into its svelte new iMac enclosure restores hope to those still waiting for a PowerBook G5, even as the company yanks the Virex 7.5 update it posted for .Mac subscribers pending the investigation of "technical issues"-- like, say, having your inbox deleted...
Other scenes from that episode: 4891: What, No Giant Click Wheel? (8/31/04) And thus is any remaining pretense tossed straight out the window. Steve's claim that Apple had decided "not to use the iPod to drive people to Macs" is looking thinner and thinner, isn't it? The way Apple tells it, you'd think it was surprised at reports of a "halo effect" boosting Mac sales among the iPod-using population, as if this were a totally unplanned consequence of selling the world's hottest portable music player to Wintel users... 4892: On The Road To Portability (8/31/04) Like we said, considering what the machine manages to do, we don't feel overly strongly about the look of the iMac G5 either way, so we're standing well off to the side while those who are a bit more pro or con on the subject hurl opinions, insults, fists, lawn darts, etc...
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