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Golden Opportunity (8/12/98)
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Apparently the "Golden Ticket" iMac promotion is more than just a mere rumor. Several AtAT viewers wrote in to confirm that Steve Jobs' plan to put five personally-signed golden tickets into five random iMac boxes did in fact appear in Newsweek magazine, a few sources who claimed to have "inside information" about the idea vouched (however anonymously and shadily) for its veracity, and a CNET article has also appeared discussing the "high-profile marketing scheme." For those of you who missed yesterday's episode and are wondering just what the heck we're talking about, the buzz is that the lucky recipients of those golden tickets will each win free computers and a special tour of the Apple factory, à la Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.
The CNET article has a few more details about the Wonkaesque plan. First of all, Apple is departing slightly from the "free chocolate for life" prize in the book; instead of receiving free computers each year for life, each golden ticket holder will win a free Mac of his or her choice for the next five years. Not quite as cool, but hey, we sure wouldn't turn it down. Also, the odds of winning are pretty darn slim, as those five golden tickets will be distributed one per continent. But if Apple does go ahead with this plan, it seems likely that they'll have a solid attention-getter on their hands that could generate millions of dollars' worth of publicity for the cost of twenty-five Macs over the next five years. Smart.
As a public service message to our more impulsive viewers, we'd like to state that the Golden Ticket promotion is not a reason to buy more iMacs than you originally planned. We don't particularly feel like doing the math, but the prospect of winning five free Macs isn't enough to justify such drastic measures: five top-of-the-line Macs is worth, say, $30,000, and the cost of entry is $1299, which is just a tad more expensive than most lottery tickets. Since your chance of winning is something like 1 in 300,000, buying an extra iMac in hopes of winning the prize isn't exactly a worthwhile investment. Of course, buying an extra iMac because they kick ass is always a perfectly valid action, and hey, how can you put a price tag on a tour of the Apple Factory presumably to be given by Steve Jobs himself? Especially if he dresses up like Willy Wonka.
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SceneLink (931)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 8/12/98 episode: August 12, 1998: Break out the x-ray specs and get ready to sweep the computer stores on Saturday, because the Golden Ticket promotion sounds like a go. Meanwhile, Apple quietly kicks a few speedy new Power Macs into the mix, and Microsoft fights hard to keep the deposition of its supreme leader out of the public eye...
Other scenes from that episode: 932: Nitro-Burning Funny Macs (8/12/98) As expected, Apple just released new "speed-bumped" Power Mac G3's, and several major resellers have updated their price lists and expect to have at least some inventory to sell by the end of the week... 933: Sweeps Week in D.C. (8/12/98) My oh my, the "Redmond Justice" case is gearing up to be a real circus; if you thought things have been entertaining so far, you may be in for a real treat over the next month or so. On Tuesday, Judge Jackson ruled that the deposition of Bill Gates and other high-ranking Microsoft executives was to be open to the public, citing a provision of the Sherman Antitrust Act known as the Publicity in Taking Evidence Act...
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