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Gotta Love Photoshop (5/15/98)
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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. The Powermac G3 and Powerbook G3 are the pro desktop and portable, respectively. The iMac is the consumer desktop. And Apple's committed to a consumer portable by next year. There are almost no facts known about this upcoming consumer portable-- but that sure doesn't stop people from making up their own, and for that we're always grateful.
Take, for example, the top-secret photos of the "iMate" that faithful viewer Robert Howard pointed out to us. We've got to say, though it's not really the consumer-oriented "eMac" we're expecting next year, we're mightily impressed at this digitally-mutated combo of a Newton MessagePad and a Powerbook G3; the result is a very sexy-looking eMate-style portable that would have most businessfolks reaching for their wallets. There's a color screen, both a full keyboard and a stylus in the eMate fashion, stereo speakers, two PCMCIA slots, and a trackpad button (though no trackpad). It's a cool illustration of a cool idea.
On the other hand, if the photo is supposed to be an actual hoax (which we doubt, since no one would ever believe that there's a "G 1.5" processor), it doesn't survive even a quick examination for digital tomfoolery. Look at the left side of the screen in the close-up, where the edge is discontinuous, or notice how, in the smaller shot, the keyboard is, shall we say, missing. Still, for a mock-up of a neat design, we agree with Robert that it's among the cream of the crop.
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SceneLink (708)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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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: 706: The Mac NC Reborn (5/15/98) 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... 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...
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