Welcome
Yowza! That’s the ATPM word for outstanding financial results! Apple Computer reported a $100 million+ profit; an increase in unit shipments that surpassed the growth rate for the PC industry and the company has forecast significant year-over-year revenue gains for the current fiscal quarter! The Internet “Mighty Mac” in the Bondi blue cape has rescued its corporate damsel in financial distress!
Apple Computer now has more than $2 billion in cash, low channel inventory and heavy demand for its stylish consumer PC (excuse us while we blush). Move over Compaq and Dell, the runaway iMac gravy train won’t be stopping at a station near you! Tell your Wintel friends it’s time to “cross the tracks” and look at the scenery from the other “platform.”
The G3 processor has become quite a little “smoker.” Hitched to this hardware locomotive is Mac OS 8.5. Analysts will have a tough time trying to “uncouple” Apple’s software results from this fast-moving financial freightliner. Borrowing a few words from our friend Thomas the Tank Engine and his boss Sir Topham Hatt, we think Mac OS 8.5's Sherlock feature is a “very useful [Internet search] engine.” Please stop by our Website http://www.atpm.com and download your very own copy of our Sherlock plug-in. It’ll keep your Internet searches on-time and “on track!”
In The Beginning
In the early 1980's Motorola created the 680x0 processor and the world thought this was good. In 1994 Apple, IBM, and Motorola released the PowerPC chip and the world thought this was better. By the end of 1998, more than one million computer buyers will have determined that the Mac’s G3 processor is the best computer hardware available today. In this month’s Apple Cider, Tom Iovino looks at whether the PowerPC-only Mac OS 8.5 is a natural OS evolution or a contrived Apple effort at hardware sales creation.
Tell Me About the “Good Ol’ Days”
It wasn’t long ago that Mac users had to explain ad nauseum to citizens of the Wintel world why we chose to use a minority platform. Apple’s recent success has answered most people’s questions about our rationale for buying Macintosh computers. In less than eighteen months, Steve Jobs has revitalized a company that had once been an icon of American technological excellence but had lost most of its relevance in a Windows-dominated world. In this month’s Apples, Kids & Attitude, Robert Paul Leitao talks about Apple’s emergence from its recent “dark ages” and the company’s “Renaissance” as a technology leader.
Middle East Piece
One of the more charming things about ATPM is that it’s put together by a worldwide staff of people who have never formally met. All of our communication is Internet-based. Although we have a pretty good idea where every one lives (we do have suspicions about Ed—please see below), the lack of regular, in-person meetings makes ATPM as much of an adventure for the staff as it for our readers.
Jamal Ghandour, ATPM’s Art Director, lives in Kuwait. He’s a multi-lingual chap with multifaceted design skills and abilities (we won’t mention his multiple personalities). The fun thing about working with Jamal is every time we ask his help in finding cool design answers for ATPM, his hard work and insights help us uncover several more questions about ways to improve our e-zine.
In the coming months Jamal will be working with Michael Tsai and Robert Paul Leitao to develop a more modern look for our monthly collection of “Audacious Tidbits & Puckish Musings.” Please keep a careful eye on Jamal’s Art Department. Each monthly piece has very “artful” ideas on how to get the most from your Mac.
Ed and the Bermuda Archipelago (Part IV)
When we last visited Ed’s home (ATPM 4.05), we discovered that our illustrious trivia champion had disappeared and his whereabouts were unknown. There have been a myriad of reports about Ed’s whereabouts, including purported sightings at a convention in Roswell, New Mexico. We’re not much for the alien encounter stuff (other than first-hand testimony about the trials of installing after-market cards in Wintel boxes), so we dismissed the reports as over-active imaginings of a few of Ed’s trivia fans.
One of our readers surmised that because Ed’s disappearance in ATPM seemed to coincide with Belinda Wagner’s leave of absence, perhaps it was one of those Clark Kent-Superman deals. For the record, we are unaware of any editorial superheroes that morph genders. But it has been brought to our attention that a man and woman sporting editor-only versions of ATPM’s soon-to-be-released t-shirts were spotted in a remote tavern in mid-Appalachia (we know Ed’s a folk music fan and Belinda will use any excuse for a scenic bike ride).
Our ATPM sleuth rummaged through the tavern’s waste bins and found scribbled notes on a pad from Al’s Bowlorama and Banquet Hall. This was the same stationery found in Ed’s left bowling shoe by Hammerli, Ed and Mary’s fierce Lhasa Apso guard dog. On the pad were notes about trivia searches using Apple’s Sherlock technology. A separate sheet had detailed notes about cross-platform data compatibility. The header read “Data from the Mac and Back—An Easy Rider’s Primer.” We don’t know what all this means, but next month’s issue may answer a few mysterious questions. In the meantime, please check out Ed’s trivia column. It came in by e-mail from: pro@alsbowlarama.com. We sent a reply, but the message came back with text that stated it wouldn’t be “spared.” We know Ed likes to bowl, but we’re very happy he didn’t send along any “frames.”
Get The Lead Out!
Daniel Chvatik, ATPM’s Reviews Editor, has been driving the staff crazy! Every time we open our e-mail there’s another request for staff members to review a particular software application or Mac utility. We really like Daniel, and he’s doing a really cool job, but we’re a little bleary eyed from all the overtime! It’s Daniel’s motto that nothing’s too good for our readers so we’ve made an extra pot of coffee, sharpened our electronic pencils and turned on the living room lights. Lots of late-night handiwork can be found in this issue!
Please Enjoy!
 |  |
Also in This Series
- Welcome (and Goodbye) · May 2012
- Welcome · April 2012
- Welcome · March 2012
- Welcome · February 2012
- Welcome · January 2012
- Welcome · December 2011
- Welcome · November 2011
- Welcome · October 2011
- Welcome · September 2011
- Complete Archive
Reader Comments (0)
Add A Comment