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Pumped-Up PowerBooks (8/23/98)
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Personally, we at AtAT are still reeling from the sheer coolness factor of the current PowerBook G3 Series, but apparently Apple is still preparing to provide "speed-bumped" models as early as a week from now. The thing is, these proposed new PowerBooks aren't just expected to use the new faster and lower-power G3 chips recently announced by Motorola, as originally suspected by multiple sources; they may also include a slew of new features packed into the sleek chassis we've all come to know and love.
According to MacInTouch, on or about September 1st, Apple will unveil these new PowerBook G3's which will standardize on the 14.1" screens originally responsible for all the PowerBook availability problems in the first place. (We hope this isn't the case; the 13.3" screen is the same resolution, only marginally smaller, presumably easier to acquire, and doesn't necessitate a modification to the PowerBook's cool chassis like the 14.1" screen does.) There are also rumors that the new PowerBooks will gain resolution-switching capabilities, similar to those present in the hypercool Apple Studio Display. In addition, the lower-end 233-MHz model may gain some backside cache for a fairly significant speed boost. And the really wacky rumor is that the PowerBooks may trade up their Rage II graphics chips for the significantly speedier Rage Pro model; if that's true, we can't wait to see 3D-accelerated Unreal running on a PowerBook.
As for the widely-publicized backlog of current 250- and 292-MHz PowerBooks, it sounds as if Apple is planning simply to cancel all of those orders. This scenario is eerily familiar; remember the Power Mac 9600/350? Plenty of orders, no inventory, and finally the removal of the product from the price list and the cancellation of the whole order backlog. While the new PowerBooks sound like lots more computer for possibly a lower price than the models they are replacing (MacInTouch expects pricing to be "very aggressive"), will Apple's customers buy the new systems after having been strung along for so many months?
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 8/23/98 episode: August 23, 1998: Evil geniuses in concrete bunkers far beneath Cupertino are busy grafting new capabilities onto existing PowerBooks. Meanwhile, Apple's busy little manufacturing plants just keep cranking out those cute blue iMacs, and a viewer has a theory about just what's holding up the release of Windows NT 5.0...
Other scenes from that episode: 961: Still Cranking 'Em Out (8/23/98) Speaking of availability problems, apparently Apple's doing a good job of cranking out enough iMacs to meet demand. According to an article in MacWEEK, retailers claim they're getting plenty of iMacs to push out the door... 962: Whither Copland? (8/23/98) Finally, tonight we leave you with some thoughts from faithful viewer David Puett: I have been coding all day (and browsing) and it finally hit me. A huge conspiracy that only AtAT could bring to the people...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
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