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Tech-analyst gasbags and longtime Mac-fans alike are reaching new heights of collective
derision over the “Tokyo” iMacs. A superficial once-over does suggest that Blue Dalmatian
and Flower Power are as worthy of mocking comments as their names imply. But Apple is
everything but a purveyor of superficial products, and first impressions are almost always
wrong. Steve did not saunter on stage dressed in a brown polyester leisure suit; he walked
out in a pinstripe suit and a silver tie. The message may have been mixed, but the mix was
not an accident.
Close watchers of the last two Macworld Expo keynotes know the direction Apple is heading,
but not the destination. The Tokyo keynote was a redo of San Francisco’s theme: hub of a
digital lifestyle. The hub strategy fits over the Mac marketplace like a Ruby iMac
enclosure. It is clear, it covers everything with a rosy glow, and it is warm to the
touch. However, while a peek inside reveals a lot of interesting-looking hardware there is
very little useful information. “Hub of a Digital Lifestyle” makes a good PowerPoint
slide, but a closer look reveals more questions than answers.
I do not have many answers, but I do have suspicions. Steve’s Apple has always thrived on
a little misdirection to keep everyone guessing. Whether intentional or the weight of
circumstances, Apple tends to keep the herd guessing by zigging when everyone expected a
zag. Whenever Steve unwraps a new present, he always leaves something in the box to
surprise everyone later. Apple’s under-promise and over-deliver approach is a tiny zig in
an industry that lives and breathes over-inflated hype.
The best example to illustrate zigzags in Apple’s recent behavior is the version of Mac OS
X we have seen in the last two keynotes. The Public Beta was good for getting acquainted,
and it made it possible to explore until you could see blue with your eyes closed. But it
also had its share of drawbacks. The demented hood-ornament Apple logo in the main menu
bar and all the Finder windows all named “Finder” are just two items in a long list of
concerns. A list that has worried many Apple watchers who have expected that they would
have to give up something in order to use Mac OS X. Yet after witnessing the latest Mac OS
X changes and the speed boost in Mac OS 9.1, the latest surprise left in the box appears
to be that we will not have to give up anything.
I do not know what Dalmatian and Flower Power will look like once the rest of that
surprise is out of the box. Maybe in this case there is no surprise. Perhaps the
three-dimensional embedded case decorations are the next evolutionary step along the path
that began with the original iMac. I do know that beginning with the first iMac and
continuing with the latest Mac OS X builds, the first glimpse we get of something new is
not the whole picture. I also know that as the rest of the computing world is mired in
place, Apple appears to be moving farther away from the boring old model of a personal
computer.
Maybe the next time Steve says, “Oh, and there is one more thing” during a keynote, the
next iMac-style revolution will be upon us. There are plenty of surprises still hiding in
the box.
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"Toyko Rose"
