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First Out of the Gate (3/23/98)
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One of the many, many rumors about Apple's top-secret "Columbus" project is that it's a teeny little eMate-style handheld that can play DVD movies on an integrated color LCD screen. That particular description sounded great to us-- if Apple could be the first company to release an entertainment appliance that would be the movie equivalent of a Sony Walkman, they'd stand a good chance to break into a whole new area of consumer electronics. But then we watched the Oscars.
If you were tuned in as well (and there's a pretty darn good chance you were, given the ratings that event commands), you may have noticed the commercial for the Panasonic DVD-L10. It's a teeny little eMate-style handheld that can play DVD movies on an integrated color LCD screen. D'oh! And it really looks cute-- sorta like a mini-Duo, which is already pretty darn small. At just over six inches square, think "Duo for a smallish dachshund."
Of course, if this is essentially what Columbus was supposed to be, Apple still has a chance if its offering is significantly cheaper and/or cooler than Panasonic's. Apple's would probably run Allegro Lite, which may allow more intelligent features and the use of basic software packages, like say a notepad or a movie annotation system. It might also double as a CD/Enhanced CD player. If the price is right, Columbus could still be a real winner. Assuming that this is what Columbus is supposed to be in the first place, instead of an NC, a desktop Mac, or a set-top internet device. Ain't speculation grand?
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SceneLink (563)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 3/23/98 episode: March 23, 1998: Despite Steve's frightening declaration that sub-$1000 Macs wouldn't ship until fall, some sources claim that Apple's first such offering is done and sitting in a warehouse. Meanwhile, the Mac OS starts to look more and more like its OS cousin Rhapsody, and Panasonic beats Apple to the punch with a portable DVD player that may or may not be something similar to the mysterious Columbus...
Other scenes from that episode: 561: Artemis on a Leash (3/23/98) What's the single biggest growth market that Apple's currently completely missing out on right now? That's right, the burgeoning sub-$1000 market, which apparently accounts for something like 40% of the sales of home computers these days... 562: Who's on First (3/23/98) Following our recent worried wonderings about Rhapsody's future, Mac OS Rumors was kind enough to post a clarification of what is ostensibly Apple's plan for its dual OS strategy. As they had reported in the past, the Mac OS will continue to gain the most important modern OS features of Rhapsody, and it will also receive Yellow Box runtime libraries, allowing software developed on Rhapsody to run in the Mac OS, starting with Allegro (due to ship this summer)...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
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