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The Mac NC Reborn (5/15/98)
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Mac the Knife appears totally unfazed by the way the dead-tree version of his column may be endangered now that MacWEEK is becoming EMedia Weekly. Perhaps he's in denial, or maybe he doesn't care since MacWEEK Online will continue (supposedly) unchanged, so his virtual self will remain safe. Or it's entirely possible that he's still inebriated following the after-hours festivities at last week's WWDC and no one's been able to tell him yet. Regardless, he keeps cranking out the good dirt.
The latest from the edged implement is that there's good reason that Apple was able to cobble together the iMac so quickly it never even showed up on the radar screens of the Mac rumors sites: the iMac is actually a consumerized version of the NC project we used to hear so much about. That backs up what a Mac OS Rumors source had to say a little while ago; take an iMac, rip out the CD-ROM drive, shrink the hard disk capacity, yank out the modem, and there's your nMac. It also might explain some of the iMac's stranger design points. After all, a floppy drive makes no sense at all in an NC, while it makes a lot more sense (no matter what Apple says) in a consumer machine. Also, a consumer box should have at least one PCI slot for gamers who want to add a 3D card, but who needs PCI slots in an NC? Lastly, 10/100 Ethernet seems like overkill in a home machine (what percentage of iMacs sold will actually ever use 100base-T Ethernet?), but it's absolutely mandatory in an NC meant to boot off of, and run all applications from, a networked Rhapsody server. In fact, we're not entirely sure, but we think we even remember that one of the early "artist's conceptions" of the Mac NC even showed a machine that was white and something very close to Bondi blue; even the iMac's colors may have come from the NC project.
Suddenly it becomes very clear why we at AtAT noticed that the iMac may be slightly lacking for a home system, but it's perfect for certain businesses we know. In fact, if Apple releases a more "corporately-styled" iMac, it might be a good balance between a pure NC and a standalone business machine. After all, it's nice to think that your whole workforce wouldn't be completely crippled in the event of a network outage.
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 5/15/98 episode: May 15, 1998: A routine background check on the iMac, expected to join the cast for the new fall season, reveals a secret prior identity as the mysterious Mac NC. Meanwhile, unknown geniuses working in secret underground labs are trying to graft a set of standard Mac ports onto the iMac's spiffy new USB port, and someone's had a little fun with Photoshop to create the "iMate..."
Other scenes from that episode: 707: iMac Breathing Room (5/15/98) Debate continues to rage over whether or not Apple is thinking too differently by not including a set of standard Mac ports in this fall's iMac. We're sure you've heard all the arguments: on the one side, you've got the Innovators, who state that Apple is keeping costs down by eliminating outdated ports that consumers don't want or need, while moving to new standards like Universal Serial Bus; on the other are the Pragmatists, who point out the simple market truth that currently there are very few peripherals available for the iMac's new USB ports, which are its only expansion possibility... 708: Gotta Love Photoshop (5/15/98) Speaking of the iMac, if you've been alert, you know that it represents the desktop component in Apple's consumer product line. Remember, Apple's now moving to a greatly simplified product strategy: two "layers" (professional and consumer) with two form factors (desktop and portable) in each...
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