Steve Jobs has something up his sleeves for May 1, 2001. The
rumor sites and even some of the mainline Mac Web sites are
making the expected guesses: a smaller iBook and maybe another
revision to the iMac line. But we've got the inside story - and you
won't believe how different Apple is thinking this time!
If you've ever read the Avengers comic book, you're
probably familiar with Henry "Hank"
Pym, alternately known as Ant-Man for his ability to shrink to
insect size and Giant-Man or Goliath for his ability to scale to
monstrous proportions. The key to these changes are Pym
Particles, which have been government classified secrets for
decades. (Don't believe it? Remember the "zappy things" from MIB -
that's why you think comic books are fiction.)
In exchange for the right to continue showing Apple computers in
Marvel comic books, not to mention a great deal of money
changing hands, Steve Jobs has negotiated the rights to incorporate
Pym Particles in future Apple computers.
You know that 17" iMac you've been hearing rumors about
for the past three years? Some were 17" designs, but a lot of them
have been resized 15" iMacs.
Apple's been having a real time of it, because certain parts of
a computer (the USB and FireWire ports, the power plug, the CD or
DVD drive) have to remain constant while other parts are allowed to
scale. It's a far greater technical challenge than simply shrinking
or enlarging a human.
Jonathan Ive, the iMac's designer, has been working with Pym,
Henry McCoy of the X-Men, and Anthony Stark to
address these issues. Over the past two years they have devised a
specially doped plastic that is resistant to the Pym effect.
This means the USB port and CD drive won't scale with the rest of
the iMac.
That was almost easy compared with redesigning the iMac to
contain both scalable and fixed-size parts. Pym Particles make it
all possible, but there are limits to how big or small the iMac can
become thanks to the CD-RW mechanism.
On the low end, the iMac can be reduced by 20%, making it
just 12" wide with a 12" display. The speakers shrink somewhat more
than that to leave room for the slot-loading CD-RW drive.
On the top end, the iMac can grow by one-third, resulting
in a 20" monitor inside a 20" wide case. Any more than this and the
fixed-size components come loose within the growing case.
It's a very clever solution that required incorporating Pym
particles in the iMac's case and even includes OS control over iMac
size. The new Scaling control panel lets you make the iMac
10% or 20% smaller - or 13, 25, or 33% larger, providing 17",
nearly 19", and 20" displays.
One unfortunate side-effect of Pym Particles is that mass
doesn't remain constant. (If it did, Goliath would blow away in
a stiff wind at large sizes.) Although this seemingly defies the
laws of physics, by tapping into an extradimensional source, the
new 32 pound iMac drops to 18 pounds when shrunk to 12" and grows
to over 70 pounds in the 20" format. (Remember, some components,
notably the CD-RW drive, retain their size and weight.)
Our source indicates we may also see iBooks and
PowerBooks that incorporate Pym Particles and allow much
greater size reduction of the entire computer. However, while this
will simplify transportation (imagine having a TiBook in your shirt pocket), they will have
to be expanded to full size before you can use them.
Finally, Apple has created a new division, Pym Packaging,
which makes special shipping boxes for all current Macintosh models
and larger peripherals. These contain a new type of Pym Particle
that can even shrink components resistant to the original Pym
Particle, allowing Apple to shrink and ship any computer or
peripheral in a 3 pound package. Expect Apple to earn more money
from the Pym Packaging division than from the entire computer
operation within the next two years - rumors are they have an
exclusive contract with GM for car-sized boxes.
- Anne Onymus
The Avengers, Goliath, Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Henry
Pym, Henry McCoy, the X-Men, and Anthony Stark are trademarks of
Marvel Comics.
