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So THAT'S An AMP (4/14/98)
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The torrent of media coverage of Apple's Columbus project stopped a while ago, but Apple Recon just keeps talking about it. In recent weeks they've grown increasingly concerned that Apple was going to kill the Apple Media Player set-top project before the final product could make it into stores. Most recently they claimed the project was as good as dead, and for months now they've been threatening to go public with a photo of the thing to try to force Apple to address the issue publicly.
Well, apparently the news of the project getting shelved continued to grow, because Recon finally posted the picture. First of all, this AMP is big. It's hard to get a good sense of scale from the picture, but it looks almost as big as a Powermac 6100 box. We're reasonably certain that this "set-top box" woudln't actually fit on top of our set, though it might rest comfortably on top of our VCR. (Or maybe under it.) Secondly, it's nice-looking: sleek, grey, and stylish, though not as nice as the new Powerbooks. It's also minimalistic, featuring only what appear to be a power button, seven small controller buttons, and the DVD/CD tray itself. Not overly exciting, but easy on the eyes.
Recon posted the picture with only four small words: "No Comment Needed. No?" And while that's a refreshing break from their customary torrent of verbiage, we actually found ourselves wanting just a tad more info than that. Like, for instance, a clear and concise summary of exactly what this thing does, why we should care if Apple trashes it, and why Recon seems to think that a set-top box is the key to Apple's future success-- for they've stated on more than one occasion that if Apple shelves this product, they're as good as gone. Perplexing. To be honest, we're almost getting a "Lyndon LaRouche" vibe going with Recon these days.
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 4/14/98 episode: April 14, 1998: Finally, an illicit photo of the long-rumored Apple Media Player makes an appearance. Meanwhile, Intel feels the pinch of the steady growth of the low-cost computer market, and yet another lawsuit enters the plot-- this time it's Apple suing Exponential...
Other scenes from that episode: 627: Hey Buddy-- Spare a PII? (4/14/98) Things aren't looking quite as sunny for Intel these days. Its profits this past quarter fell a whopping 27%, due to lukewarm demand for its processors. In the words of the lovely and talented Katie, AtAT's resident fact-checker and goddess of minutiae, "They must not be shakin' their groove thing."... 628: Baffle 'em With Lawsuits (4/14/98) In other chipmaker news, raise your hand if you remember Exponential. (Okay, you can put your hand down, now-- you probably look pretty silly, raising your hand while sitting in front of your computer.)...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
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