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Apple Possibly Pursuing Another iMac-look Clone
Cybersonic writes: "Cnet has an interesting story where they are thinking about going after yet another company making a translucent PC. " It's a company from Australia that makes something called "FishPC". It's not a standalone machine like the iMac is, which the company pointed out when interviewed.Update: 04/24 03:54 by H :I've been told that the case is actually AMD's EasyNow! design - thanks to Chris Tom for the head's-up. Wonder why they aren't suing AMD?
The average consumer likes his computer to look like he got it at ToysRus.
It has great aesthetic value, which is important to the mainstream consumer. You know, those of us that don't get wood from specing out our dream computers. To the average consumer, a computer is just an appliance, like a refrigerator or a couch, and they want it to look nice or at least nifty as well as perform some function. Why do teenage girls buy clear phones? Same reason.
This is a freaking nature conspiracy. First it's Apple, then it's Fish.
What's next? OOGPC?
You can't handle the truth.
So does apple feel that it can go after anyone who dares to use a bit of semi-transparent colored plastic on a piece of hardware? I can see that I suppose, I mean, using clear plastic to enclose electronic components is an obvious innovation. I bet microsoft is pissed they didn't think of it first.
-cibrPLUR
Holy Wars are almost always pointless, but this one takes irrelevance to an extreme. If the primary factor in using a mac is the product design, then the OS must be irrelevant. It's not - the Mac is the MacOS, not the hardware.
Here's what I wrote to the author of a MacCentral article on the topic last week:
Regarding the FishPC -
While this does show resemblance to the original iMac's Blue & White color scheme, this is no eOne. The photo in your article shows that the guts of the machine are all contained in a seperate CPU tower, a tower which looks nothing like apple's G3 Blue & White CPU. At most, the monitor's translucent plastic looks very similar to Apple's B&W 17" monitor scheme.
While the FishPC may not be breaking much in the way of new ground in industrial design, I don't think this is as blatant a case of copyright infringement as we've seen in the past. In fact, I may even be rooting for FishPC's success in the inevitable lawsuit. After all, just because you can't afford a G4 doesn't mean you should be doomed to a lifetime of ugly computer cases.
-carl hirsch
. We've got computers, we're tapping phone lines, you know that ain't allowed - Talking Heads, "Life During Wartime"
IP must be protected at all costs. It is this doggedness that has made Apple the success they are. Their zeal to protect their hardware and keep it closed has propelled them from the #1 computer company to number #43. Clearly, they feel more comfortable as the underdog and this move will ensure that they stay behind the pack.
Well done, Apple !
Apple doesn't have a leg to stand on. Those "jelly sandle" people from the late '80s should be suing Apple.
Am I the only one who thinks the iMac looks like "Barbie's Dream Computer"?
--
Linux MAPI Server!
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Apple have every right in the world to go after other computer manufacturers that steal the "look and feel" of their machines. Apple spent a lot of money in doing market research and coming up with innovative ideas when designing the iMac, and it is quite right that they should be the sole benefits of this work and effort.
Unless a company has the right to protect the fruits of their time, money and effort then they will not bother to come up with such innovations and new technologies. This is very much related to the whole issue of patents - a company that spends time and money on something should be allowed to benefit from that money without fear of it being stolen. After all, why bother to innovate if another company is going to steal your work a month later? This is what most /.ers seem to fail to realise in their knee-jerk anti-patent fanaticism.
The fact is, at the end of the day our society is based around an ultra-capitalist ideal - the "American dream" of bettering yourself by gaining money and influence at the expense of others. The corporation is simply the Platonic ideal of this social structure, and as such, they deserve to be able to defend themselves from predators - and in this way, patents serve as the "anti-bodies" of the economy, and are just as necessary for a healthy organism.
so now wait a sec, let me just get this straight... but apple has a patent on translucent material? and they have a patent on making a computer all-in-one?? that just doesn't make sense to me, first of all i would never buy any of that all in one crap, but for those who want to, how is it that apple can have a patent on somthign like that... so they are saying that pc manufactures have to buy the rights from apple to make a case that holds a monitor and all the other guts? if so then there is a serious problem with patents and copyrights.
This is just as silly as Amazon copyrighting "one-click". Maybe I've been in a cave my entire life, but I seem to remember there being translucent colors before there was Apple and the iMac.
Jobs, why stop with computers? There are plenty of other companies you can sue. Makers of pagers, cell phones, console gaming systems, etc. are all riding the "iMac" wave.
Think different, my ass. Think VICIOUS. Maybe this would be a good time for Microsoft to sue Apple for emulating their business practices.
I can't believe no one ever made a translucent colored PC before Apple, does anyone know of one? (Apple to OEMs) Think Different, or we'll sue
I went to view them on the Fish PC website and I'll say this - if Apple could beat Future Power and eMachines in court, they should have no problem whatsoever stomping this one. Even though I don't see anything wrong with other companies trying to imitate the Apple "style", this is a dead ringer for an iMac, even down to the color choices. The only difference of any significance appears to be a few control buttons on the front panel. What were these guys thinking? Like it or not, this looks like an open-and-shut case for Apple, and a waste of time and money for Fish.
- -Josh Turiel
-- Josh Turiel
"2. Do not eat iPod Shuffle."
Apple might be interested to know that the infamous (bondi-blue) eOne started selling here in Hong Kong. Any lawyers reading??
Seriously, what can they claim...
I did not realize you were joking.
When did clear colored plastic become a trademark? I was at Wal-Mart the other day and say a clothes iron that had clear blue plastic for the water tank (at least that makes sense; you can see the water level). Are they going to sue the iron maker now? I have a clear plastic phone in my closet that is way older then the iMac. Is Apple going to sue them too? Is Apple so desparate to hang on to their market they are suing people over cases? Talk about some people with no clue.
One of the disadvantages of living in a real-time world is that there's a pressure to "break" stories even before they have a chance to become real. If you actually read the story, you'll find that Apple is still evaluating the situation. It's true that Apple has pursued other "imitators" in the past, but are they going to pursue FishPC? It's not clear at this point.
The fact that the article stated that attempts to contact AMD but couldn't reach anyone because of the Easter weekend is another tipoff about how quickly such articles are getting thrown together. This isn't necessarily bad, but unfortunately not all Slashdot readers seem to understand the difference between "a developing story", where the facts are still being researched, and a more thoughtful analysis news piece which fairly tells both sides of the story, such as you might find in a quality monthly news/analysis magazine. Both have their places, but people seem to instantly jump on these developing pieces without recognizing that that all of the facts might not yet be in yet, and that in this case Apple may not have even decided what to do yet.
Saying a computer is just an appliance is a bit like saying a cat is just a beast, like a dog or iguana. Spend enough time around computers and cats, and you'll see that there's a bit more to them than that. (Maybe that is why, according to the Jargon File, "it is widely grokked that cats have the hacker nature.")
That said, regardless of your feelings on the iMac's design, it is in no way, shape, or form, the exclusive result of Apple's "innovation". They coupled the simple, one-piece form factor of IBM's PS/1 with the "melted-jellybean" design seen so faddishly often in cars and other devices nowadays. A great marketing move, in true Jobsian fashion, but for Apple to claim some sort of exclusive rights to it is ludicrous. Elements specific to the iMac's design might be trademarked, as is the little Apple logo or Nike swoosh, for example, but for them to sue anyone making a colorful clear-case computer is about as ridiculous as one-click patents.
N4st0r, trixx0r h0bb1tz0rz! Th3y st0l3 0ur pr3c10uzz!
"You know a technology is passe, when you can get it in a range of colours."
Some other comments...could they have made a more hideous site? I think it took 4 pages before you actually got to the front page of the site.
I don't really think Apple has anything to worry about, with people buying them cos they think they're iMacs.
Why?
No-one will buy them, they're hideous!
Apple really doesn't have a case here, even if they do decide to go with it, looking at the system, it does have a translucent monitor case, but the style is not "iMacish". This is also not an "all in one" pc, there's the pc, monitor and other peripherals. My opinion is that having a colored translucent case isn't enough of an original idea to justify going on a rampage every time someone else uses it, it's not a new idea either, (anyone ever see those tacky transparent phones?) Apple is spending so much money on defending the "look and feel" of their products that one wonders of the quality of performance suffers because of it, even when the "look and feel" isn't all that similar. Like I said, apart from the translucent case on the monitor, the similarity of appearance ends quite distinctly there, the style and implementation of the system is too markedly different to be worth suing over.
Stupid is as stupid dies.
I don't know what's funnier, the fact that Apple is suing for a manufacturing process (that's all there is to clear plastic, sorry..) or the fact that Roland considers clear plastic "futuristic"..
Lowmag.net
How can Apple sue people for making computers that simply look like theirs??? Couldn't IBM shut down the rest of the PC industry by claming Dell, Micron, and Gateway "stole" their idea for the beige case with matching keyboard and monitor? I think this is almost as bad as Amazon's 1-click patent.
It sure doesn't look like an apple, I don't know, these weird gardeners?
Seriously, it does not look like IMAC, it looks more like an old "Casper" monitor made of transparrent plastic and the components are separate.
You can't handle the truth.
This is bullocks. Sure, someone else also thought to make an excessively mod personal computer, but does Apple have a trademark on swank, or translucent plastic for that matter?
Some important distinctions to note:
The monitor is not gumdrop shaped
The computer is a seperate component from the monitor
The mouse appears to be usable
Another damned comic
+++ NO CARRIER
Check out the iGeek. It looks like a close copy off the iMac, translucent case and all. Anyone see those phones with a translucent case?
Ok - there are quite a few translucent cases out there - where does it stop becoming "whoa - translucent cases are a good idea, let's make some" to "let's rip off apple"? Does apple know where to stop? Could they sue makers of cube-style cases because NeXT (now apple) "innovated" the shape of the NeXT cube?
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I can understand the gripes about the mouse. It's designed for small hands and -- although no one has ever really gotten a straight answer from Apple on this -- "coolness" factor. I assume there's a reason why they're sticking with it through four or five iMac revisions, plus the G3 and G4 desktops.
I don't mind the keyboard, though. It's missing some page-naviagtion keys, but these aren't used under many MacOS applications to begin with. Plus its great if you don't have a lot of desk space. Finally, it's got a pretty good feel to it; better than the old AppleDesign II or Extended Keyboards did, and certainly nicer than the terrible two-dollar Taiwanese boards that come with many PCs. It's not a patch on the older IBM "clicking" keyboards for overall feel, but it's not terrible. A matter of personal choice more than anything else.
What's wrong with translucent wires, though? They don't work any better (or worse) than their opaque equivalents, and they give the computer a nice, consistent look. Plus, they don't look nearly as filthy as the old grey cables did after a few months of use. Heck, the whole system ages very well: the iMac, G3, G4 and/or iBook don't look nearly as disgusting after six months of sitting in a dusty workplace. The dirt, stains and yecchh on beige/platinum grey cases really stands out.
It seems as if most of the gripes about the iMac and its brethren are more a matter of personal taste than of professional criticism. The iMac itself is a fairly capable PC. I can see how power-users would have an aversion to it's lack of expandability and the MacOS's relative lack of robustness, but dismissing the system by it's looks is, well, thinking with your testicles (ie, I'm too manly to use a colour-coordinated PC) :)
I actually went out and bought an iMac-colour-schemed ATX case for my Intel-based home system because I wanted something that wouldn't go yellow or dirt-stained. Pity that there's nothing I get that'll cover CD-ROM bays in the manner of Apple's G3 or G4.
--srj/mmv
They don't another incident like the one in which Microsoft stole the GUI that they stole from Xerox!
Got Rhinos?
...maybe good for folks who have never seen a cathode tube, otherwise - I havent a clue... Just recently I set up a webpage for one of the teachers at our school. Hes a real Mac freak and loves his new iMac. Just to give him an idea of what the page could look like, I put in a few headlines and some text. When he read the 'Why is the iMac so ugly...???' he went ballistic. Doesnt talk to me since then. Hmmm, people are funny...
I am going to copyright/patent the standard beige PC case and sue any one past/present or furture that decides to use it, it has played a MAJOR role in the advancements in the computer industry, like the iMac case has for example.
"`Ford, you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.'" -THHGTTG
FishPC, that is.
... a foot-tall fish-shaped system unit, with separate monitor and separate speakers.
First it checks your plugins. Note that this is slow enough (on a 28.8k modem) that it can put up a page saying what it is doing.
Then you get a page that presumably has some huge graphic on it. I didn't wait for it to load - I clicked on "enter html page". The alternative was flash.
Next another page, possibly also with a huge graphic. The only text on the page? A link, titled enter. I clicked it.
Now another of these slow "I'm checking you out" pages. This one is trying to find out what browser I'm using. How long can it take them to look in the http headers? I click on "netscape / ie 4.0 + 5" because I think that might be what I have.
Finally (the name of the file is frame_four.html) I get to the content. It is graphic intensive, and the main graphic is an animated gif, which rotates so fast you can't actually make out any details. But amidst the blurs I can make out
No wonder Apple are suing. I've half a mind to sue these bastards myself.
--
E_NOSIG
This whole thing over translucent cases is rediculous. We have people in our advertising department who don't care if their machine is a Mac or PC, just as long as it is 'blueberry' and not 'strawberry.'
You can get ATX translucent cases here.
-Kris
I have a Vectrex sitting at home, which is a black system, vertically shaped with a built-in vector monitor. The game controller is wide, and it all looks suspciously like a macintosh(but infinitely cooler). Of course, this came out in 1982.
I think GCE(Milton Bradley) should sue Apple for copying their Vectrex look.
This isn't about make an all-in-one design. Why can't these companies come up with their own unique looks? They all have to copy the look and color scheme used by the iMac, but there are countless other possible designs
But, there is a limit to this. Remember when Apple and Microsoft effectively both tried to copyright the GUI? (which they had both ripped off from Xerox anyway) what it they had succeeded? What if the judge had come down firmly for one side or the other?
If one company has the exclusive right to produce PCs that look good and are designed for the home, it would be as damaging to the computer industry as if only one company had the right to make GUIs.
Yes, the eOne was clearly trying to pass itself off as an iMac, both in name and looks, which could confuse consumers and steal customers from Apple; but this is like Sony trying to prevent other hi-fi manufacturers from selling hi-fis with black boxes.
Am I the only one that is bugged by the way people misuse the acronym 'CPU' to mean 'The big box that you plug wires into' instead of the correct meaning ???
actually, if i remember right, the apple II was by far the most popular home computer in the early 80's beyond the "toys" of commodore, atari, and others. [not a troll - i had and loved my atari XL, but it was not a business machine at all].
the apple II had visicalc (the first spreadsheet) , was everywhere in schools and starting to show up in corporations by 1980. that's why IBM hurredly released the PC in early 1981. apple was so bold at this point that they took out a full page ad in the NYTimes sarcastically welcoming IBM to the market.
they never released the apple 1 in any useable form. the II came out in 1976 (i think) and is generally considered the first useable personal computer.
finally, the mac was introduced in january 1984 with tons of hype but never really got a full head of steam because of lack of software and lack of hardware power (up until the mac II in 1988). i think the peak of the mac's market share was around 1990 (maybe the quadra years?) with about 25% of the desktop market. it also hit about 20% when they released the first power pc macs in 1994. it dropped down to about 5% around 97, and is now hovering around 10-15% with iMacs, G4's, iBooks, and powerbooks. (all market share figures depend on who you ask, naturally).
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DJ Raz
raz@wfnk.com
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DJ Raz
raz@wfnk.com
I wonder why no-one has patented beige rectangular boxes...I mean thats IP isn't it? According to Apple it seems to be. Do they not have anything else except the appearance of their box to rely on for sales? Does gateway sell their systems only because of the neat-o cow box (I'd never buy one but still). Honestly to hear their engineering people talk (and a lot of other people inculding me sometimes) you'd think their processors and hardware in general is actually better. I have just been informed that people who are looking for pretty colors are the target of Apples new products. They should start selling paintings if this IP is so important. If they want to keep their stuff closed off from everyone else thats their business but this is ridiculous. just my $0.015 (not quite 2 cents)
Apartment6
Paint it beige and it's just another monitor. Ugh. What a world.
I was thinking about getting a mac. I know it's not a problem to get a decent USB mouse these days - but does anyone know if there are any decent USB click keyboards available?
When I'm coding I need that reassuring little clicky sound to tell me that i've pressed a key as much as i need caffine
...In other news today, Apple announced the company had filed suit against the Pacific jellyfish Aequoria victoria. Legal representatives for the company cited the gelatinous organism's rounded shape, translucent body, colorful bioluminescence, and utter brainlessness.
According to the Apple spokesman, "We believe our lawsuit is justified, as the resemblence to the iMac is obvious". No comment was available from the jellyfish, which was last seen munching on zooplankton.
'scuse me. there were many all-in-one computers before the ibm ps/1. the original mac predates it. so does the commodore pet. just a correction. your history is off, but the point is well taken. i can see going after e-machines and future power, but not the fish pc.
tom dutton
Reality does not happen until you analyze the dots. -Don DeLillo (Underworld)
Until a few years ago, actually. Until they really started screwing up (as in, bad even by Apple's standards), they were consistently in the top 5 when each quarter's sales results were announced. They were usually in the top 3, and sometimes #1.
Apple's unmatched ability to shoot itself in the foot, combined with consolidation in the industry, removed them from this tier. However, they're within shooting distance, but even reaching #1 will make them small enough that they're still a niche . . .
I suggest making the little Reserved Symbol (R) ni the Apple icon at least as big as the Apple icon itself. Maybe reverse the sizes of the reserved symbol and the Apple symbol?
v2sw7CUPhw5ln6pr5Pck4ma7u7LFw0m6g/l7Di5e6t5Ab6TH.
Whoever made those translucent phones in 80s should sue Apple for copying their "electronics in colored clear plastic" idea. Here are the next inovations: 1. translucent body panels, hood, trunk on cars. 2. translucent refrigerator doors. 3. translucent shoes(done already?)
No, they'd be sued by me; I've patented the color blue, at all possible wavelengths.
Does this anger you? Then you better send me some more money, because I've patented that emotion.
Hrmm.. now SGI needs to sue apple for making brightly colored computer cases.
Rats would be more funny if they could fart.
We REALLY cant let Apple keep doing this!
:)
I understand that Apple computers created a 'unique look' with their I-Mac... BUT there is nothing they can do about companies making similar case designs... It seems that Apple goes after ANY company with a traslucent case, as soon as they get popular enough to gain attention.
Beeper companies have has translucent cases on beepers for years now... (its just a bunch of electronics in a case, about as easy to use as a mac O:)
Heck, the machine in question here, isnt even integrated!! I did not have any problem with apple until now, but this really upsets me...
Oh and as a side note, Slashdot actually put up one of MY submissions, w00h00!! Makes me quite happy
Cybie! aka Ralph Bonnell
It is exactly for reasons like this that I don't buy products from Apple. Love their hardware. Looking forward to OSX. Their emphasis on consumer multi-media is right on target.
But I won't do business with a company that makes fruit colored plastic a higher priority than customer relations.
Maybe I'm a lone maverick, but I doubt it.
If Steve & Co. are happy to make what money they can by overcharging their faithful loyalists, good for them.
They could make more if they would simply stop being so prickish.
(Has anyone patented fruit colored plastic yet?)
--Lawrence Lessig for Congress!
Besides...Why would I buy a translucent, fish-looking PC? Are they going to try and market this to the anglers/outdoorsmen?
*Yeah...you shoulda seen the one I caught the other day...must have been at least 750 Mhz!* A whole new dimension to 'Fish Stories'.
Que Deus te de em dobro o que me desejas
[May God give you double that which you wish for me]
But I don't see the any of those companies that have been selling translusent cassettes since the 70s sueing Apple. Plus I dont see IBM sueing all those companies that make black cases. This all about lawyers justifying their own parisitic existence.
They clearly should be going after HandSpring. It has a blue translucent plastic case too.
I have spraypainted my previously beige computer case with #40 Krylon(tm) Green. Anyone who dares copy this will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of stupidity allowed under the law. You have been warned.- -
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the amazing bc
latin/funk flugelhorn & trumpet
webnaut, music junkie, sysadmin from hell
the amazing bc
just another guy doing IT
webnaut, music junkie, holes-in-head
If everything inside the computer where also translucent, then you might have something... translucent P-III, PCI/ISA connectors, motherboard, etc. etc. -- That would be mighty cool looking (even if it didn't work.)
If I remember correctly Apple was only able to defend IP in the US against Daewoo. The chance of them defending IP on grounds of look and feel in Taiwan was pretty slim. However, since e-machines was selling (fairly well at that) in the US they could persue them in US court.
I suspect that Apple pervailing on this case will depend on IP law is AU. And as long as they are not selling the cases in the US then Apple will have a disadvantage in the case.
Apple designed the iMac mouse to be a "finger-mouse". You're only supposed to be able to put two fingers on it and click it, not hold it in your hand like the normal PC mice.
Yeah, but that would imply that the iJellybean actually does look good (which IMO it doesn't)
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It seems that Apple invented this design...I didn't see a "translucent" PC before the IMac came out.
Although I hate Macs as much as the next guy, I'd be pretty pissed
myself if I made a round PC and every one copied the design off of me......
If you're not a Liberal in your 20's, then you have no heart.If you're still a Liberal in your 30's you have no brain.
have been transluzent. Does such a thing as commonsense exist in the US legal system. I dont see beige box manufacturers sueing each other. Or car manufactures sue each other when different brands of car look similar or are the same colour.
But I studied a lot of law when I got a cease-and-desist for a fan page that talked about a TV show and when I read about The Tetris Company's activities. Here's what Apple could claim:
- Design patent (perhaps; I don't know if they applied for it)
- Sculpture copyright
- Trademark
- Trade dress (this covers a lot of the "look and feel" issues)
</ianal>(OT: The <fake-html> bug in the preview code is back.)
Will I retire or break 10K?
Appliances perform useful tasks and may or may not be a part of your everyday life and may or may not define a piece of your culture. A toaster does not and is not, a television is and does. /Most/ people do not take computers as hard-core seriously as most slashdotters. As a Netware and Unix administrator, I'm not afraid to admit that I once had an iMac. It was free to me, I'll grant you, but dammit, it was pretty! :)
I guess they haven't seen the ads running in Europe for the "Celvin"....it's exactly the same.
o m.html
http://www.fujitsu-siemens.com/en/celvin/showro
"Whenever the cause of the people is entrusted to professors, it is lost." ~ V.I. Lenin
And I am a hacker. I actually own two cats... One is more of a hacker, the other is a cracker. One spends the entire day building cool stuff with boxes, the other is trying to exploit the security on the cupboard that contains the catnip! I guess I should rename the cracker cat to 5cr1p7 k177y or something... I like it...
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If anyone had bothered to read the article, Apple is not suing FishPC. They are evaluating the situation, but have as of yet taken no legal action.
What you are looking at is a press release from FishPC designed to make it look like that they're brave little underdogs fighting the big bad Apple. The reporter then threw in a couple of random quotes from some random Apple marketing person to make it look like he did research.
It is marketing, pure and simple. Five minutes ago you had never heard of FishPC, and had they not done this, you could have probably gone the rest of your life without ever knowing of their exsistance. Read the article. What does it say? Apple is evaluating the situation, and then a glowing description of the internals of the computer, talking about the specs and configurations it comes in. It reads like ad copy, because that's what it is.
- Aqua is a band. They did "Barbie Girl."
- Aqua is also a theme whose widgets look like medication capsules and is the default theme in Mac OS 10, which will soon be packed in with Barbie-looking computers.
Any connection? There are also games packed with an Aqua-like theme.Will I retire or break 10K?
2. The actual reason they are suing: They don't want anyone else making a PC that looks as cool as theirs.
I'm not sure about this one. If I come out with a cool new desk, that looks cool but isn't otherwise particularly special, can I stop people from making knockoffs? Can Nintendo sue the Digimon people (or Digimon sue Pokemon, I need to check the chronology) because it's horning in on their "collect cute monsters" style of gaming? Can Wizards of the Coast sue Lord British for ripping off the D&D theme? Would we want them to be able to?
I think it all depends on the law. If the law says, "you can Copyright/Patent the look of a PC" then if Apple filled out all the correct paperwork, I'm guessing Apple wins. If they are trying to sue them based on the, "They're fooling people into thinking it is a genuine iMac," then they are being disingenuous, I think, and may win but should lose.
All the creatures will die, And all the things will be broken. That's the law of samurai. (Jubai, 1605)
Fact Apple does not have a patent on Translusent plastic, as they existed before Apple ever existed - cassettes in the 70s, for instance. Fact Apple does not have a patent on all in one computers either as they existed before Apple existed too, we used to have an old TRS80 clone at home that was all in one, which was made in the late 70s What this means is that anyone can legally go out & build translezent all-in-ones, because its impossible for Apple to have petents on them. The only way they could win in court if the court was American (commonsense doesnt apply then) & if they out spend their opponent on lawyers.
Apple has NOT attacked this company yet. And I don't think they will. Why? Because this is quite clearly not an iMac ripoff.
People here seem to have the misconception that Apple's just suing people who make their cases out of translucent plastic. This isn't right, and it wouldn't be right of Apple to do it. No, Apple goes after companies that blatantly rip off the iMac's design. And it does have a right to do this. Look at FuturePower's own ripoff, the ePower. Frankly, I'm surprised they didn't just leave the Apple logo on the cases; it is the only difference. It is clearly meant to confuse the consumer.
Translucent plastic certainly isn't new. But it's not the issue, either. The iMac has a design that is clearly non-generic, and computer companies have done little but rip it off. I applaud AMD for making a "cool" case that doesn't rip off the iMac; this would be why Apple won't sue them. It's an original design, and even though most of the color schemes are quite awful (at least the iMac doesn't clash with itself, even though it might clash with everything else) it's a good and original idea.
Am I the only one who got confused by the sentence "the CPU looks like a fish standing on its tail"? The CPU is a little square of silicon. The case is what looks like a fish. I'm surprised that C|Net would contribute to a confusion of terms like that.
I do not think that word means what you think it means. - The Princess Bride
Unix: Where
the style is not "iMacish". This is also not an "all in one" pc, there's the pc, monitor and other peripherals
But doesn't it look "G3ish"?
Will I retire or break 10K?
Next, when are they going after all apple farmers for using their logos?
<ianal> Trademark law is about unfair competition. Apple farmers do not compete with Apple Computer Inc. </ianal>
Will I retire or break 10K?
Yeah, but that would imply that the iJellybean actually does look good (which IMO it doesn't)
Degustibus non disputandem est
I just bought an iMac DV (blue; I'da gotten purple, but they didn't have one in stock, and I needed the machine *now*, not a week from now), and I think it looks cool as hell.
But that's why they make most things in all sorts of different designs, and not just one: different people find different things appealing.
Scott Taylor
We are in a desperate race between Stupidity and Transcendance; Don't pick the wrong side.
Notice that the story doesn't mention that Apple _is_ suing FishPC, just that legal action is being considered (nothing more than a rumor, btw). Apple is correct to investigate this product to find out whether they are in fact violating any Apple patents or trademarks. This is regardless of whether or not you personally think that patents as a whole are good.
-Rafi Remove the Spanish to email me.
If you're talking about boxes that contain a motherboard and one or more CPUs and memory and adapter cards and storage devices and that have connectors on the back, I call them "boxen." To me, a "box" is any computer that is not considered "mobile," anything larger than a laptop. Rackmount computers (and early Mac LC computers) are "pizza boxen."
In fact, Apple wants you to say "Mac computers" or "Mac boxen" instead of "Macs" because trademarks are adjectives and do not inflect.
Will I retire or break 10K?
>You bring this up but do a great deal of "hackers" own cats? I always thought so, though I guess the survey work is not done. I mean they should make great hacker pets, being low-maintenance and very independant, as well as pretty cool.
Give me a break. Apple has spent many millions of dollars establishing the iMac look as a distinctive product identification. Predicatably we have dozens of companies looking to rip this off. What the hell is preventing these other companies from developing their own distinctive case design? Nothing, except they lack the talent to do so. Apple worked hard to establish this in the market, and deserves the rights to it. Do slashdotters go after Coca-Cola for defending their coke bottle shape from copiers? I don't think so.
Some users have pointed out that this design is not the same as the iMac in that it is not all in one. Well, get a clue - Apple sells other computers with the iMac look that are also not all in one. Ever see the Blue and White G3 with matching monitor?
And then there was the comment about the AMD Easy Now design. Give me a break! This design looks NOTHING like any of Apple's computers. Solid purple color with green trim? REAL close to an iMac, NOT!!!!
Ok, let me start by saying that I dont appreciate the whole idea of big corporations trying to monopolize any one idea to the point of preventing others from making similar but signifigant contributions to the marketplace. However, my personal impression of this company and the product they are offering is that they are simply attempting to ride the wave that Mac started. Just read the website, catchy "you need to be cool like everyone else" type marketing schemes amidst somewhat shite Webdesign. Just by looking at the computer its blatently obvious it got its inspiration from the iMac. Please read that last sentence again placing a big emphasis on the little dot at the end. So what was the argument again? Should they be legally able to take this idea and make some money from it, possibly taking some of Macs peice of the pie at the same time? Does Mac have a patent on the idea? I think the results of this little debate whether here on SlashDot or in a court of law can be settled with little or no discussion at all.
My favorite quote from the article:
;-)
What also makes the system very different is the CPU--it stands under 30 cm high and has a front-loading CD-ROM system.
DAMN! I didn't know Intel made CPU's that big--I always thought they were getting smaller! And a built-in CD-ROM? Holy crap, that must require a huge heatsink!
Oh, wait a minute, perhaps this is just a case of CNET interviewing a moron...
http://www.amd.com/products/cpg/easynow/index.html
Revealing his extraterrestrial orgins, slashdot-terminal said:
"Becuase everything is logical in some way."
I hope your visit to our planet is an enjoyable one. Please be careful, however, around the smaller, curvier humans. They are called "females" and I don't think you're quite ready to deal with them on a 1-to-1 level. Please refer to pamphlet #1450-245 titled "That is Not Logical: An Earth guide for logic based entities" for important saftey tips.
This has been a public service of the Terran Global Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Board.
Thank you.
if you feel strongly about not giving out information to companies on the web, don't fill in the blanks...simple as that.
Q: What do you think about American Culture?
A: I think it's a good idea.
Q: What do you think about American Culture?
A: I think it's a good idea.
(adapted from Gandhi)
Grow up Apple. First it's other people's computers look too much like yours. Then it's other people's skins look too much like yours. Stop pretending colored cases and skinned ui is some fscking brilliant thing. Begone UI troll. The whole computer industry was based on copying and sharing of ideas. Innovation is what keeps you a step /ahead/ of people. It is not a guarantee that nobody else will follow you.
And by the way, why the heck is the CDROM on this fish thing sideways, eating up the surface space of the case? Do too many people really think the CDROM is a mug holder or something?
It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
Trademark law is about unfair competition. Apple farmers do not compete with Apple Computer Inc.
I bet you could port netBSD to an apple (the fruit, not the translucent plastic box)
Last i knew, Apple didn't own the rights to the concept of "curved surfaces" or eye-catching colors. I understand completely why they went after the other iMac-clones (i forget who made them) because they actually looked very close to the same, but these new EasyNow! cases and peripherals look nothing like an iMac.
give it up.
However,
& thats how its always been. Virtually the first think Steve did when he was back at the head of the table was to settle the law suit with MS, by phoning Bill at home. They both saw the common sense in a compromise, as only the lawyers were winning out of the law suit. Really all that so called animosity was just business posturing.
They are fighting for the same reason that we don't have companies selling "Linux deodarant soap". Because it dillutes the brand.
Now I realize that I'm preaching an element of closed business practices to the wrong crowd, but if Apple had properly beaten Microsoft in the 80's over look and feel, they would have their own unique product. People could be inspired by it, just not do the same thing.
They have a patent on computers looking iMac-ish, not necessarily colored cases, nor translucent colors. I mean come on, just how difficult is it to draw up a new, design for a computer case. The apple line looks cool, but there is soooo much more room for design out there. Take a look at American automobiles in the 50's for an example.
How much time do you take picking out laundry detergent at the supermarket? (I'm trying to pick something that this crowd doesn't obsess over, like computers) If you saw a bunch of ads for Tide, and you went to the supermarket to pick some up, and saw a box with the same colors, and you cared more about the ice cream meling in your shopping cart than grabbing the correct box, you might end up with Snide, the generic detergent that bleaches your favorite clothing.
My aunt comes to visit me, and she shes how much I love one of my Mac products. I tell her that she should pick up an iMac, and she runs out to the store, picks an impostor and ends up forever imprisoned in Winblows.
- passion
Compaq had out some time agao a PC which was an all in the monitor style unit. My cousin had one, it was a 486sx/16. This unit was one of the first to come out with that case design (I don't remember who it was that had the very first one).
Do we need a little "confidence" rating or something in the title bar of some of these stories for the link-following and research impaired, like me, who don't want to spend all day verifying slashdot stories? A bar or percentage maybe...going to 100% when actually confirmed for a fact. Something like this might have dispelled some of the hype over the "phantom" Frontpage security hole, e.g.
It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
I can see it now....4AM, 150 Federal marshals armed with MP-5 German submachine guns surround your home and then kick in the doors. "Where's the FishPC?!? Where's the FishPC!?!" the men in black shout. Three minutes later a Fed rushes out carrying your PC wrapped in a blanket to a waiting van. Hours later your FishPC is reunited with Steve Jobs and family in California.
"Whenever the cause of the people is entrusted to professors, it is lost." ~ V.I. Lenin
The reason Apple is not suing AMD is they know they would lose. AMD has the money to fight it where FishPC probably does not. They are just hoping to bully FishPC out of the "aethestically appealing PC" market. Hopefully AMD will lend FishPC some lawyers if this goes to court.
CleverFox
Why is having a translucent PC case good?
Consumer asthetics only.
The Handspring Visor now comes in translucent plastics, in five colors. My wife, who once considered my Palm Pilot a useless little geek gadget, saw the review for the Visor, and absolutely had to have one, in translucent orange, of course.
Yes, I know the Visor is basically a Pilot in translucent plastics. But she bought one anyways, solely because it comes in translucent orange. She also wants an iBook, again in translucent orange. And she is disappointed that we bought the original iMac--not because the newer ones are more powerful and feature DVD and the iMovie software package, but because the new ones also come in (you guessed it) translucent orange.
Colored plastics appeal to folks like my wife. And people like my wife potentially have hundreds of millions (collectively) that they are more likely to spend on a translucent orange (or blue, or green, or whatever) computer than they are on one which only comes in drab beage, or worse: looks like it was designed by the same people who designed the Death Star or Darth Vader's helmet.
They're out there. My spare at home is very clicky, but I can't recall the make on it right noww (not Macally is all I can recall). Find an Apple shop with decent stock (Computerware near San Francisco) and play with their demo keyboards
Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1992-1951
There is a simple reason why. The AMD EasyNow (which the FishPC is modeled on) looks nothing like the iMac. Go see for yourself: AMD EasyNow Fish PC E-machines e-One and Apple iMac
The Fish PC is clearly modeled on the EasyNow design, but with the iMac color scheme. And that's really the only similarity, and it's been hashed out already in past stories that, design patent or not, nobody can patent a color. You can patent a design that uses particular colors, but not the color itself on any particular type of item.
It looks like the cases that are being pimped by AMD aren't just iMac-ish colors on a stock IBM PC case. If that was illegal, then ColorCase would have been shut down ages ago.
Apple, no matter how much they would like it, doesn't have a copyright on "clear colored plastic".
And besides, the only thing that looks like an iMac on that C|Net page was the monitor, not the other components. The only issue here would be the shape of the monitor, and that can be done away with without destroying the overall effect of the case. I would be amazed if Apple won this one.
aÍÍ©ÍÌÍ£Ì'̽ͩÌÍzÍYÌÍÌY
This is off topic and not meant to be trolling or flaming!
But still. Wow.
You do know, slashdot-terminal, that life and reality is unreasonable, irrational, unpredictable, illogical, and undeniable? Any reason, logic, rationality and predictability in the system is there because we created it that way? Physics is not reality; physics is our attempt to model, predict, and understand it.
Reason and logic are not natural things, but manmade things to allow us to live in our Universe. If there is order or pattern or reason, it's because our brains see it, not because it naturally exists. Things flow and ebb and progress, as is the nature of time, life, and change, but any kind of reasoning that exists is there because we thought about it, not because it naturally exists...
-AS
-AS
*Pikachu*
That's right, I said good for Apple!
Apple had a potentially great design idea. (although the execution of the iMac sucked in a lot of ways) Other companies should be free to borrow some ideas and innovate with that information, but they shouldn't be allowed to rip off ideas directly.
In other words, if you look at a machine and think, "Hey--looks like Apple has a new machine out!" then they've violated Apple's trademark/patent rights. If you look at a machine and think, "Hey--looks like they stole Apple's design!" then they've violated Apple. If you look at a machine and think, "Hey--looks like they didn't have many original ideas" then things start to get grey. Of course, if you look at a machine and think, "Now THAT'S a unique design!" then they're obviously in the clear. Unless Apple disagrees, in which case you go to court.
Honestly, Apple came up with one of the only original not-a-beige-box ideas available, and nobody's had enough creativity to figure out that different design doesn't HAVE to mean rounded corners, transluscent colours, and friendly logos just like Apple's.
Here's the short test: Is this company's design riding on the coattails of Apple? In my mind, the answer is YES!
"People who do stupid things with hazardous materials often die." -- Jim Davidson on alt.folklore.urban
This would seem to imply that apple are threatened by a PC manufacturer, because their cases look similar.
Thus are we to assume that the only reason someone buys an iMac is because of the translucent colours??
That's like Amiga sueing dell because of their beige boxes....
or something.
The secret of success is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake those, you've got it made. (Marx)
It's in ESR's Jargon File as the plural of box when it means "sessile computer."
Will I retire or break 10K?
Personally, I buy my computers in black rackmount cases with lots of fans.
www.microconversions.com make nice clickety mac USB keyboards.
--
Don't lead me into temptation... I can find it myself.
I find it extremenly funny that people care so much about the appearance of the machine itself, while they could customize their desktop almost endlessly. After all, the picture on your monitor is usually the part of your computing equipment that you're going to stare most by far.
Everyone who makes generalizations should be shot.
More interestingly, why does it bother you? Why is it that people who consider themselves hardcore computer users so often seem to have something against translucent cases?
If they're well designed, they can be much better looking than the traditional beige box (with optional basketball-shoe bezel). Check out the iMac DV SE (the grey one), or the G4 case. They're very nice. And it's not like having a good-looking case impairs your ability to use the machine.
Maybe it's just elitism...snobbery. You pretend to be irritated that people could be so stupid as to purchase a machine based on what its case looks like. You do so because *you* know that it's the components that matter, and what's more, you know which components should be in a machine. And everyone should recognize your impressive technical knowledge; to make sure they do, you spout off about how stupid their case is. Beautiful.
Or maybe it's the fact that computers are no longer the "secret art" that once they were; PCs have become powerful enough and cheap enough that people can safely choose one based on its looks. It doesn't matter to them that it won't be the bleeding freakin edge of their price range, because the simple fact is that it'll be *good enough*. You think granny needs a G3/400 for checking her email? Hell no. But she can afford one, so why not pick a pretty one? So your little technological priesthood is over. Nobody's impressed that you have and can use a computer. After all, who can't?
People like translucent cases because they're *pretty*. That's it. And that's enough. Get over it.
First of all, Hemos, will you _please_ get over your hatred of Apple and stop posting sarcastic anti-Apple comments on the front page of /.?
When are you ever going to follow up on that "More coming soon..." comment you made on the front page a while back? Did you decide not to follow up when it turned out you were wrong about Apple in that case?
Now, of course Apple is considering action against FishPC. The designs are similar enough to cause confusion - however, Apple has not YET sued them (see, Hemos, the reason they aren't suing AMD is because they AREN'T SUING FishPC yet, if they ever will!)
However, Apple has not filed suit and in this case, I don't think they will. They don't have a great chance of winning, because it isn't standalone, even though the monitor does remind me of an iMac. Moreover, the pricing structure on the thing places its cost way above what you can get an iMac (I think.. dunno AU->US conversion rates).
Any major company's legal department is going to be eagle-eyed in watching for infringement.. what about LucasFilms and THX and Dr. Dre? Everyone still likes Star Wars.
Apple has come a very long way in the past couple years. They have an entire Open Source operating system available, are basing their next generation Mac OS on that Open Source operating system (and for those of you who complain it's not GPL, there's a reason. You can't mix GPL and proprietary software).. a UNIX, for god's sake.
They use industry standard parts.. IDE, PCI, AGP, SDRAM, etc - have led the way with USB (naysayers say what you will, but USB exploded with the advent of the iMac) and continue to implement Firewire, a digital video standard they invented, across the board.
They use IEEE 802.11, an open standard, to communicate wirelessly, when they could have developed some proprietary scheme.
Did you know that one of the first questions when Apple meets with a third-party hardware/software supplier is? "Can we release this?"... as in "Can we make this part of Darwin and release the source code to it?"
That's a big change for Apple.
You may not like the company because you grew up using PCs... I have never understood the vehement dislike those who grew up on PCs seem to have for the Mac. They constantly go on about the Mac being inferior and a toy and that there's more games or software, and that (once these people go from being MS zealots to Linux zealots) Apple is proprietary and they just want to steal our good ideas and so on and so forth...
Everywhere you turn, there are IT managers who have a dislike of Macs for no other reason than they don't understand them. That's what it boils down to. You hate what you don't understand.
Well, understand this: Apple is developing machines with industry standard parts implementing industry standard protocols designed to run an OS that is based on the tried and true BSD Unix heritage and is at the same time based on a core that is Open Source, and said core is even designed to run on Intel-compatibles.
The end of cloning was a blessing: the inferior quality machines Power Computing, Motorola and UMAX produced (I know they are, I've used and maintained them) were being sold into Apple's own base and killing off the company. No Apple, no MacOS, no clones. In the end the result would be the same.
Can't you see the writing on the wall? Apple is preparing for a new era -- PPC and Intel machines, an OS constantly improved via Open Source development -- it doesn't matter if the Linux zealots join in.. there are other developers out there -- and is leading a charge that is masterfully executed.
The iMac is Apple's cash cow. You people seem more concerned about plastics than freedom of code, something Apple has shown a renewed commitment to on its Darwin listservs. You should join in sometime and find out how this company is changing itself for the better.
Stop blinding yourselves with learned rage. Look honestly at what Apple has done over the past two years and tell me that they have done nothing good. If you can tell me that, you have no clue where the future of the desktop is going.
Does anybody else remember the Franklin? It was an Apple II clone that was sued into oblivion back in the 80's. I think the victory over the early knock-offs gave Apple an unwise confidence in their lawyers. When they sued Microsoft over Windows, all they did was give Windows more street cred than it deserved. ("It's so much like the Macintosh that Apple is suing them!")
I think they have a legitimate beef with the various eMachine sellers over "trade dress". These companies are obviously slapping together shoddy knock-offs of the iMac (running DOS 98) in order to fool the grandmothers that see the iMac in those "She-Comes-In-Colors-Everywhere" Gap-style TV ads.
This argument does not apply at all in the case of these spunky new AMD boxes, which no reasonable person could possible mistake for an iMac. They will sell (or not) based on their own merits, and Apple simply has no leg to stand on this time.
After a couple months of giving it a fair chance, trying several different hand positions, I have concluded that I absolutely hate the funky little "hockey puck" mouse. At the same time, I am glad that it is the one that Apple included with my G3. Why? Because a mouse is really a matter of taste (no one design will please everybody). Given that you can't sell computers these days without including a mouse and keyboard, I would much rather have them include a $15 mouse that I hate than an $80 mouse that I still don't like. Either way, I end up buying the nifty Microsoft optical mouse, so if Apple is going to cut corners anywhere for the sake of price, the mouse is a good place to start. (Yes, M$ is my favorite mouse-maker... although I might feel differently if I was left-handed.)
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
what is the point of getting a pretty car, or a nice coffee table, or a stainless steel refrigerator opposed to just generic ones... it makes life a bit more exciting. it makes your surroundings more appealing. not all of life is dependant upon processor cycles, or ram. there are aspects to life other than performance.
I like Stuff - http://voda.dhs.org/
Yawn.
You know, it's a little silly to get all bent out of shape from a story that is based on one thing - a rumor.
There are stories with good journalism (quotes from all sides of the story), and there are stories have bad journalism (rushed out the door to meet an arbitrary deadline).
This is the latter.
Get all bent out of shape IF Apple sues them. By all means, please do - I'll be right there alongside you.
However it's downright stupid to complain about something that hasn't happened, nor is there even a shred of proof that it IS even happening.
All that's happened is some people have noticed that the FishPC has some similarity to the iMac/G3/G4 line. Some competitors start muttering about how "Apple's gonna sue them!" and, poof, a story gets written.
Whoever compared Slashdot to Lord Of The Flies was dead on...
Moof!
Clearly there is some degree by which people need to have their work protected. If there were no protection, people would have less incentive to produce creative work such as the iMac case. Analagously, we allow patents to have a 17 year monopoly. However, protecting it too broadly leads to ridiculous lawsuits, and restriction of advancement.
The field of IP/Patent/Copyright law deals with this. The goal is to finding the right level of protection which provides the best overall result. In my opinion, this system works better in the US than in any other country.
You can see a picture of a typical Vectrex unit here...
--
-Rich (OS/2, Linux, BeOS, Mac, NT, Win95, Solaris, FreeBSD, and OS2200 user in Bloomington MN)
Mainframe/UNIX Bit Twiddler and long time Windows/Linux Hobbyist.
The Theorem Theorem: If If, Then Then.
Well, this is good to hear. To be honest, I hadn't even gotten around to clicking the link to see what the story actually was because I was soo interested in the topic and responses. I saw, in a different thread that APPLE should not be pursuing this since cassette cases have been translucent for awhile. Well, I used to own a Radio Shack TRS-80 that had been packaged in a translucent computer case back in 1981 or so. I have long since thrown the thing out because the latest "gizmo" that it had was STEREO cassette recording for your BASIC programs. The technology has come a long way since the early 80s yet translucent cases is not something new. Of course, if APPLE had actually went and gotten a patent on the idea - and the patent office didn't know about the "prior art" or whatever legal-mumbo-jumbo is affecting this story, then all bets are off. Just thought that someone would appreciate knowing that good old Tandy had translucent cases "way back when" and it was cool.
I thought about it too... It's almost as stupid as when people points to a monitor and exclaim "Look at that cool computer"... Well, ignorance isn't punishable as far as I know...
Come on, as long as the box isn't processing anything, just call it box... If not Intel or AMD invented a cpu that's 30 cm tall and looks like a fish... Maybe it's waterresistant too, so you can use the bathtub as cooling-device... Yeah!
Maybe I could cope with it if it was a some "ordinarey" newspaper or tabloid or something, but... This is Cnet, goddamnit!!! They should know what they talk about!
--
"I'm surfin the dead zone
In the twilight, unknown"
You say that the open source bubble will burst and again, this clearly demonstrate you cluelessness. Most people who write/use free software write it because they value their freedom over monetary gain. It's not about being anti-capitalist, it about choosing what kind of society we live in. One that sees sharing it's advancements with others without resticting their freedom. Free software has NOTHING to do with how much companies like Red Hat, VA, etc and valued in the stock market. It's about a segment of society choosing to live in a better world.
Who cares if we're not in synch with with the majority. We are free and this is all that should matter. Are you gonna jump off a bridge if all your neibours do so? What's wrong with idealising a better system in which to live? This is no bubble to me. I use free software every day and it is very real to me.
Apple has come up with more insane law suits over the decades than most any other so called "enlightened" compnay.
Remeber hwo they crippled DR dos , gem and a few other OS makers for "look and feel" back in the 80's? Remeber the way they went after Apple II and Mac dealers with thier GOLD DEALER program?
If not, if you are a latter day apple devotoee, go back and look at the history of your fave company.
Pretty sad, idiots will follow the shinny bright facists every time. Hitler had the cool balck uniforms, Apples got the fiesta condom colored imacs.
Sige Hiel Jobs
Poor little clams! Snap! Snap! Snap! Poor little clams! Snap! Snap! Snap! Poor little clams! Snap! Snap! Snap!
Unless you are burning money in your hearth or you can get a computer for 15 dollars/yen/euro/pounds/franks/pesos, etc dosn't mean that the rest of the world is going to waste money on something just because it looks cute Really, why the hell are you letting vanity get in the way of getting work accomplished on a computer? So if the absolute best comptuer that had say 4 processors and 2Gb or ram with about 10 50Gb SCSI disks in it looked like shit and you had say an 8088 with no hard disk and a 8 inch disk drive but it had a plastic case you would get it huh? Good thinking, and I think you might be interested in this wonderful piece of swamp land I have over here.
Good maybe I just might start a computer shop and get a bunch of "pretty cases" and market used 386/486 class machines. People will be too transfixed with the case and it's stunning beauty it's not going to be a problem that the machine takes 30minutes to allow for that application to load.
You've managed to completely miss one of the most important points in my post. These are *not* shit machines. They are perfectly good, perfectly serviceable, generally quite *fast* machines. With the exception of the low amount of RAM in some of the iMacs, these are pretty powerful boxen. My DV SE builds our glibc package like a mad fiend. The video is beautiful, the sound is surprisingly good, disk space and RAM are ample. It's a good, competitive, better-than-useable machine.
Oh an also consider that the Mac is one of the highest pricest machines on the PC/PC type market for home use. So how can it be reasoned that being "pretty" is any excuse?
Because it is. Clearly people are willing to pay more for something that doesn't look like a chunk of wall. When you buy furniture, don't you look for something that looks nice as well as being functional? Why do you pay more for some shirts than others, when both cover you up and keep you warm? The fact is, once you get into the realm of the commonplace, everyday item (as opposed to the semi-mystical engineer/geek's toy), appearance becomes a factor in people's purchasing decisions.
Quality and performance are not non-issues, but they're no longer the only ones, either. Oh well.
(Side note: please format any followups... that was kinda difficult to go through and quote.)
Wasn't meaning to troll on the 'ripped off' remark, apologies to the people it seems to have offended :-)
From a design standpoint I can't see how any transluscent computer MUST be an iMac ripoff. Those eMachines were one-piece knockoffs that look a lot like the iMac, but the FishPC and the AMD are strikingly original (well the AMD is, if that is the original) and the CD player is really cool, but they have colored clear plastic so Apple is getting its collective underwear into a bunch. I doubt AMD is going to give two shits about the FishPC, they actually make great hardware at good prices that sell regardless what they look like.
When technology companies talk about protecting their patents who thinks colored plastic panels? Is this all Apple has going for it? Sure sounds like it. These beige boxes are in desperate need of a new design and the industry doesn't need Apple crying foul everytime theres clear plastic involved. Hey Apple, make computers not cases and you might go far.
Well put, computers look the way they do because of office lighting regulations. Do people like slashdot-terminal live in an modernist like office building with florescent lighting, handicap accesible bathrooms, and cubicles instead of walls? Doubt it, people by nature gravitate towards aestheticly pleasing shapes and colors. Computers are cheap and disposable consumer goods they might as well look good and when they do people react. Especially when this thing is going to be sitting wide open in their home. Its sad that the current crop of good looking electronic cases aren't much appreciated by typical males or so called power-users because our society's macho and intellectual ideals put a taboo on art and expression leaving the market open for women (my girlfriend has this green cellphone) and artists (this graphic desiner loves the new cases) etc.
Maybe slashdot-terminal drives a black model-t around and wears the same suit everyday, but most people demand more than plain looking appliances and from the looks of things, they're coming. Better stockpile those beige cases, cause once people start getting a decent choice in cases and peripherals there ain't gonna be anymore made.
I know there's a steam iron or toaster or something with that look that predates the iMac, but where and on what did that look first appear?
When I first saw the iMac my reaction was more "Haven't seen that look in a long time" than it was "Finally, something new under the sun".
But, what was first? 50's concept cars? Art Deco? A perspiring mind wants to know.
I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.
It did get read. I wasted my time. :-)
If people need to know all that power user command line interface stuff, that just means that computers aren't good enough yet.
I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.
Your wife has good taste :) I want one of those Powermac G4s, but they're a kinda boring gray... I wanna translucent orange G4 :)
Snide, the laundry detergent that makes cutting comments about how tacky your clothes are.
I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.
I saw translucent PC's in 91, at CeBit. They likely existed before that too.
Yes, I know that the slashdot gang gets many article submitions but they could at least read the the one they're gonna post.
I've been told that the case is actually AMD's
EasyNow! design - thanks to Chris Tom for the head's-up. Wonder why they aren't suing AMD?
This almost sounds like inside info, yet anyone who read the article saw this and its hyperlink. Maybe you should hire Chris Tom to do your proof reading. I wouldn't care but this shit happens all too often usually with misleading titles and summaries. Read one for the Gipper.
(MM note: I don't care if you mark this down, I've got karma to spare.)
Save your profile and then delete it using User Profiles under System properties. Rebuild it on start up. That can fix quite a few problems.
--
Don't lead me into temptation... I can find it myself.
#1 has already been done. Ferrari uses translucent (or transparent, depends on how you see it) material for its engine cover on several cars.
I have a website. It's about Macs.
I sincerely hope this is a troll. The dated idea that "women like pretty colourful things" just because of their sex is an idea that I find to be offensive in the extreme.
/.) don't have any asthetic taste to speak of. (I mean, come on: do we all really want computers that look like they were ripped off the bridge of the Death Star?)
:-)
It was not.
It was, however, a recognition that perhaps men (and the geeks here on
Oh, and by the way: I upgraded my Palm (an old 512K model) to a Visor. In green...
Both - Apple has targetted their PR on mass media stuff (mostly movies and TV), with fairly good results. I believe they have given iMacs and other machines to studios for free in exchange for a few seconds of exposure. In some cases, an Apple product has played a very prominent role in various films (Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible, etc).
I'm still trying to figure out how Apple got Open Transport - their networking architecture - to interface with the alien mothership in Independence Day. At the time, OT truly sucked, and it was hard enough to get it to work on terrestrial networks. All this, and they chose to spotlight the Powerbook 5300, possibly the worst laptop Apple has ever made.
Anyhow, there is also a pretty strong contingent of Mac people in the graphic arts field, as well as Hollywood in general. Script writers, directors, actors, etc. I'm not sure what the percentage is, but it's probably a lot higher than the rest of the world at large. I imagine that they have so many Macs laying around, they make good props.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
- Jeff
interesting comments; i think i've already heard them on msnbc, though. look, the imac's design is unique, it came from the company the pioneered the all-in-one design years before ibm's ps series (may i remind you of the Lisa, Lisa 2, Macintosh 128k, and MacXL?) apple was the first to begin including, in '98, translucent plastics in an all in-one-design with their PowerMac G3 All-In-One for educators and later that year, the imac. it's rediculous to tell steve now, "sorry man, it's cool to have translucent plastics and a jelly-bean shape, i think we'll steal your designs in a very gateseon fashion!" heck, dodge has already taken their 'different' slogan. it's rediculous to think that apple shouldn't rigorously protect its rights from pissant little pc makers. nike swoosh indeed.
Silly human. Anyone who truly groks cats knows that the cat owns the hacker, and not the reverse. They allow us to share their homes because we can operate the canopener and clean out the litterbox. Cats were worshipped as gods in ancient Egypt; they have never forgotten this fact.
"The axiom 'An honest man has nothing to fear from the police'
Why is it that the proponents of "one nation under God" are so eager to get rid of "liberty and justice for all"?
The thought of an all-translucent computer brings to mind the story a friend once told me about someone who built a Heathkit Color Television Set using "liquid solder**" instead of real solder.
It looked great, and had perfect soldering joints on all the PC boards......
**"Liquid solder" is a silver-colored metal-bearing epoxy that is decidedly NOT conductive.