Is Apple Missing the Boat?

1999 – Did it strike you odd that Apple completely ignored the iMac at the World Wide Developers Conference? Sure, the latest PowerBook G3 is an incredible machine, but what about the Power Mac, the consumer portable, the iMac?

C2, the Next iMac

1999: I think Apple surprised most of us by releasing the iMac Revision D at 333 MHz instead of 300 MHz. A lot of us had expected the lower speed, possibly coupled with a boost to 64 MB of RAM or the addition of a DVD player, neither of which happened.

The Business iMac?

1999: Once upon a time there was a compact computer called the Macintosh. It used small disks, a small keyboard, and a small screen. Then a company called Radius invented a revolutionary device: a full page display for the Macintosh. Unlike conventional displays, this was a portrait monitor – taller than it was wide.

$299 WEBzter Jr. PC, Floppy Drive Optional

1999: A special thanks to Jeffrey Cho of The iMac NewsPage for bringing this one to my attention: Has the Age of Disposable Computers Arrived? The US$299 WEBzter Jr. from Microworkz is one of the first PCs to emulate the iMac by shipping without a floppy – but with a 56k modem, so it’s Internet […]

The appleimac.com Dispute

1999: Did you hear the one about the two 16-year-old boys in Canada who registered appleimac.com – and have now been threatened by Apple’s lawyers? If not, read Teen in Dispute with Apple Over Domain on Cnet.

Spend $4,320, Get Free iMac

1999 – A few days ago, Free-PC.com started giving away free Windows PCs. Ho hum Compaq Presarios. The Mac community yawned – or snickered. But now One Stop Communications is offering a free iMac. In fact, they’re offering a total of 25,000 free iMac.

The iMac Ahead

1999: For over a dozen years, the personal computer industry has been producing incremental upgrades. The 4.77 MHz IBM clone gave way to 8 MHz “turbo” models, then 10 MHz, and sometimes more. With the 80286, speeds leapt from 6 MHz to 8, 10, 12, and 16 MHz.

Beyond Bondi

1999: Apple unleashed the iMac 266 in five fruity flavors last week. Besides yellow (lemon? banana?), the only significant color missing was Bondi Blue, the color of the original iMac.

iMac Saves Apple?

1998.12: Charles Piller, in Fast-Selling iMac Model Is a Singular Sensation for Apple, writes: “While the sensational new iMac has doubled Apple Computer’s share of the consumer PC market to about 10%, according to the latest data, so far the popular machine has no coattails. Sales of Apple’s more costly and capable G3 desktop computers […]

iMac More than Skin-Deep

1998.12: If you surf the Mac sites, you’ve probably run across links to “Skin-Deep Beauty: The iMac’s Performance Doesn’t Live Up to Its Snappy Appearance” (no longer online) by John Breeden, published by The Washington Post on December 17. The article raises a few valid criticisms of the iMac, but also contains some inaccuracies.

An iMac Game Plan

1998.11: Kudos to Apple for upgrading the iMac with Rage Pro graphics and 6 MB of VRAM. It gives us a hint at where Apple may be taking the iMac in the future. Already we’re hearing rumors about an iMac with DVD taking the $1,299 price point while the current iMac drops in price. It’s […]