Think Secret - August 1999

August 1999

August 31, 1999

Seybold Coverage

Look for our live and complete Seybold coverage at Think Secret, both during and after the keynote today. Watch it yourself at this address. -Nick dePlume, Editor in Chief

Apple's Financial and Inventory Situation

First Steve Jobs talked about Apple's recent profits, cash, and inventory situation, while mentioning Drexler's appointment as an Apple board member.

QuickTime TV

After Steve outlined the success of QuickTime TV and the Star Wars movie download, VP Phil Schiller demonstrated the features of QuickTime, with QuickTime TV streaming channels and Weird Al music videos. Toy Story 2 was mentioned, as the trailer was shown.

Mac OS 9

First Steve Jobs went over nine major features of Mac OS 9, which will be available in October. Then Phil demonstrated several features, including Sherlock II. AppleScript running through TCI/IP was a big hit with the publishing crowd.

Four-Corner Product Line

Steve Jobs then began to outline the status of the four-corner product line. He talked about the iMac, and what has happened since its introduction, such as the revolution of new USB products and new Macintosh products which have been announced. IBM representatives demonstrated ViaVoice for Macintosh, their speech recognition software.

Steve then went over the specifications and features of the iBook, which was announced at July's Macworld Expo in New York. He also outlined preorder stats and displayed the new iBook ads. Both were well received. Then he talked about the AirPort wireless network technology.

Then the PowerBook G3 line and its DVD features were outlined.

Finally, the G4 was introduced, along with the Apple Cinema Display. More specific details to follow shortly.

Signing off

Leak different. This is Nick dePlume for Think Secret, signing off.

August 30, 1999

Sawtooth, Tuesday Seybold Debut, and "Yikes" (another hoax)
By Ji-Shim

I'm sure all of you have noted a common thread on various rumor sites, that Sawtooth has been delayed and a "Project Yikes" was essentially dropping upgrade G4's into current Yosemite Models for a Tuesday announcement. As a shareholder, insider, and fan of the company, I generally find "posting price lists" a big no no! This only hurts Apple sales! However, since it is so close to the G4 announcement, I see little damage it can do to current G3 sales at this time. I have been barraged with letters from friends, associates, and contacts who were disappointed by the current news. While Sawtooth was a month behind Yosemite, first "Motorola is not done with G4" rumors surfaced, and now finally that there is no sawtooth, and Apple will be basically adding no more than upgrade CPU's and pushing it off as a new product.

I have continually reassured my friends. The G4 has AGP and ATA-66 and certainly has been very reliable. Once again, as rumor upon rumor casted enough doubt on everyone, the most "sold" story seemed blindly accepted by varying rumor sites. As I tell my friends, I have no idea whether Mr. Jobs is directly involved with these stunts, or whether managers and/or employees are just dropping "evidence" in obvious places...but it obviously is working against people looking to "spoil Apple's suprises"; it's not as easy as it used to be.

So, as many of you have read on various web sites, bulletin boards, mailing lists, or received via "anonymous e-mail", I have been sharing these specs with various friends and associates in many different areas of specialty within the Mac community since Thursday afternoon (I had no idea anyone would post these specs, and thought it was still a bit too early). After confirming from Apple hardware, CPU upgrade cards was quite a funny joke, apparently. In fact, it's about as "Far out in left field" as some rumors we've seen...but I guess this project "Yikes" doesn't set off normal warning flags with everyone. Go figure.

So yes, Sawtooth is ready. No, hardware is not subject to "stability", all we did was add AGP, and an ATA-66/USB/Firewire ASIC to the Universal Motherboard (as hardware officials said, "Hey, this isn't rocket science!"). That's the "news" and I'm outta' here. Yes, expect it on Tuesday (because even if Steve forgets to announce, it will apparently be available in the Apple Store). Yes, they are fast. Watch the "Bake off" and new ads, "Up to 30x faster than a Pentium III". (Or whatever one Steve chooses.)

If you want to see it live, please tune in via QuickTime 4 to the Seybold Keynote. "Keep Our Streams Free" and support our favorite company's QT Streaming Server technology. See if that Akamai investment really does help broadcast quality...there's much more to push at Seybold, which I'll make you watch to find out about, and followed up in Paris in roughly two weeks with a little more.

It's a great time to be a Mac user, and those of you holding stock...(!) We hit yet another 6 1/2 year high of 65 inter-day on Friday, a weekly event as of late, yet still values Apple at 50% of any other box maker...let's see how much more fun this ride is, we deserve it. Why? Because you "just knew" a company with such amazing technology, loyal users with religious fervor, and a fear of calling our hard drives the friendly "C:/". Rock On Apple!

Special thanks to Eric Yang, of Apple Investors and Mac Evolution, for providing a quality of investor information that no pay Services can match!

See you at the show.

G4 Specifications for Seybold
Posted August 28, 1999 By Ji-Shim
[Note: As outlined above, our source also sent this information to numerous other websites 24 hours before this posting, so it appears at several other locations, most notably "Accerate your Macintosh!", a non-rumor site. Be sure to check out xlr8yourmac.com for their unique spin. -Nick dePlume, Editor in Chief]

I can't believe you guys fell for the disinformation routine, again! Everyone of them bought it hook, line, and sinker. You believe in something called "Project Yikes"? You guys KILL ME! (Or maybe they're all in on it...too.)

Signing off

Leak different. This is Nick dePlume for Think Secret, signing off.

August 27, 1999

The case for two iMacs
By iRud, Think Secret Contributor

Up to now, the main engine for the iMac's success has come from consumers wanting to get on the internet, wanting to get on the email bandwagon, wanting the easiest access to the fruits of those delights and to make a fashion statement in the process. A year later, with the proliferation of iMac copycats and the stunning revelation that Apple is still selling as many iMacs as they can ship, it is clear to everyone that this market has only begun to be tapped. 2 million iMacs worldwide shipped in a year, that's great, but still only small potatoes when you're talking overall PC marketshare, and even smaller potatoes considering the great unwashed millions who have yet to buy a computer. How many of us still know people who are ready to buy, either for themselves, their home office, or for their kids, but are still too intimidated by those funny jumbled numbers and letters describing arcane features, or have been advised by Wintel geeks to wait until after Y2K?

More recently, the iMac is beginning to appear in other settings besides the den and the dorm room: receptionist desks, small business networks, and even pros are finding that it's an excellent network station as well as a workhorse powerful enough to replace many traditional boxes that don't require the bells and whistles of FireWire, DVDs, lots of RAM, huge hard drives, and the latest horsepower of the Blue and & White G3s. AirPort? Well, that's another thing.

And there are many more potential iMac buyers if Apple could just get its retail price under that all important thousand dollar rubicon. Could Apple do it in a new iMac? A souped-up one is unlikely at that price, but there's no reason we couldn't see an iMac Classic for $999 if Apple wanted to make them. One with a modest speedbump, and slightly larger RAM and HD allotments, maybe AirPort, but otherwise a box with the same CD, ports, footprint, and screen size as the current Rev D. What little Apple might sacrifice in profit margin would be more than made up for in volume sales.

But there is another market Apple has it's eye on. One that Apple has been making huge investments in. All the rumors and evidence are pointing to a new iMac tailored to the next wave of the internet, a wave that Apple, mostly by itself, plans on ushering in: the desktop video revolution. All the pieces are in place: affordable video cameras and storage peripherals with FireWire ports are out there, DVD drives are now available at a price that isn't prohibitive, QT has in just a few months has penetrated 12 million computers and QT streaming servers are delivering content, broadband is on the horizon for most (reality for some), and not to mention a killer app in the wings to sew it all together- the consumer version of Final Cut.

A DV iMac needs a number of hardware goodies that aren't necessarily going to be found on a standard iMac: 128 Megs of RAM, a 10 Gig HD, a 4X DVD, a bigger screen (and footprint), AGP graphics capability, and at least one firewire port. Preload Final Cut consumer version, the latest OS with Quicktime 4 and abracadabra you have an under $2000 digital video dream machine.

You don't think desktop video is going to be that big a deal? Well, I'll save that argument for another article. There are yet other reasons why people will want this machine. Consider another consumer market that Apple has recently been courting, but to whom the current iMac only rates a contemptuous sneer. Gaming is a huge part of the consumer computer experience, and often an entry point for kids of all ages to achieve some degree of computer literacy. Apple is, for once, successfully cultivating gaming mindshare. That success is evidenced by the steady stream of game developers returning to the platform and a proliferation of Mac games often now released simultaneously for Windows and Mac. Gaming afficionados usually need the capacity of professional machines to really get their fix. DV iMacs with lots of RAM, CPU horsepower, AGP graphics, and a reasonable screen size are going to be a pretty compelling package to the Quake crowd.

Then there is always that segment of the market that just has to have the latest and greatest even if they haven't a clue what they'll use it for (my brother-in-law for example). And aside from this gearhead contingent, knowledgable consumers will always want more choices, but as we've seen in the past, too many choices can be deadly for our favorite computer manufacturer. However, it's pretty evident the iMac's market has matured to the point where it can handle more choices than just which fruity color they get to pick.

I'll take one of the big ones in Lime, please.

Argh! Think Secret Ad Frame Problems

Apologies for the problems with the ad frame. Many readers, especially IE users, noticed the ad frame repeating and filling the screen, sometimes crashing their browser, when linking to Think Secret from MacSurfer. The boys at MacLoop are attempting to fix the problem. Again, apologies for any inconvenience. And, as always, watch IBM. -Nick dePlume

The Saga Continues: Mac OS 9 Reader Feedback

Mac OS 9: got feedback?

Contract Manufacturer Reader Feedback

A reader sent us some information, as a follow-up to our article on contract manufacturers:

Signing off

Leak different. This is Nick dePlume for Think Secret, signing off.

August 26, 1999

3-Month Harbinger
By Kaiser HearSay, Think Secret Operative

The winds of rumor and speculation continue to blow with regards to new product releases from Apple. All eyes will be on Steve at Seybold next week thanks to Apple promos, G4 timetables, and all-around Apple optimism. However, speculation about the goodies he'll deliver has tempered lately with sad rumors of Sawtooth delays, and really sad "Yikes!" rumors. In addition, almost everyone agrees: the much anticipated Kihei is not a good fit for the Seybold audience.

Seybold expectations now may sober even further: our sources report that Apple is offering a purchase promotion for its employees. These deep discounts mark Apple's final push to clear out inventory before ramping up the pipeline with new systems. Insiders report this harbinger surfaces around three months prior to new product debut. There is historical data to support this in the Powerbook segment of the matrix, but what systems are in this recent promotion? That's right, Blue & White G3's and the Studio Display.

If the 3 month rule applies, look for new PowerMacs in the November timeframe, right? One burning question emerges: will the products debut at this date, be available at this date, or both? A Sawtooth in your stocking at Christmas could be a dream come true. A lump of coal like "Yikes!" could be a nightmare. Optimistically, the new PowerMacs could debut at Seybold and ship in November. Seybold will answer a portion of the question, but what if Steve doesn't tip his hand next week? He could surprise us: Quicktime Live! conference November 8th.

Got dirt?

The Apple Internal Misinformation Campaign
by Travis Goland, Think Secret Operative

There have been lots of juicy rumors of late to the effect that Apple is pushing back the Sawtooth due to outstanding issues, and that they are putting a G4 equipped Yosemite box in its place for the Seybold launch. These rumors may pan out. These rumors may not. However, be very careful! The Apple Internal Misinformation Campaign is watching.

Apple is getting extremely serious about preserving its secrets. Recent actions by this top secret group include falsified training modules which mysteriously find their way on Apple's internal training site to disappear hours later, top secret private training sessions that appear to isolate particular individuals, and well placed falsified data that create a cascade effect to increase the noise to signal ratio so that Apple's true motives and actions remain well concealed.

Now I'm not saying that any particular piece of recon is true or false. What I am saying is that Apple is tracking the flow of (mis)information to find leaks, and intentionally creating false trails in order to throw the public off its trail.

These are perilous times for leakers...

Broken Links, Etc.

A few of our links from MacSurfer didn't work for a period of several hours from when we were updated and MacSurfer was updated. In the future, you will still be able to get to the articles from those original links. Apologies for the inconvenience.

Outsourcing Links

Dan Knight of LowEndMac.com sent us a few links to preview LowEndMac.com columns which dwell on issues related to yesterday's article on contract manufacturers:

Niches and Cloning
Apple too popular for its own good?
Apple must outsource production

Mac OS 9 Reader Feedback Report

Here is a selection of the reader feedback we have received from readers who have tested out Mac OS 9. Send your Mac OS 9 comments and notes to rumors@thinksecret.com.

Signing off

Think Secret: the alternative rumor website. This is Nick dePlume for Think Secret, signing off.

August 25, 1999

We're Back...and...Join the Team!

Yes, we were supposed to resume publication yesterday, but there were a few delays. Apologies to all for any inconvenience caused from readers not being able to obtain their regular fill of alternative Macintosh rumors.

In other news, Think Secret Operations is now looking for some new contributors to add to Think Secret's current editorial team. We're looking for someone to write insightful articles on rumor-based topics, with, unfortunately, no compensation. While not required, it is a plus if you have your own channel of inside information and industry gossip. Send a description of yourself and your writing interests to the Editor-in-Chief.

Making Sense of the Contract Manufacturers
Contributor: Kunoh

When Apple halted production of iMac in Cork, and reduced production of iMac in Elk Grove, a lot of Mac opinionists were upset. Rightfully so - many of those people lost their jobs, although most of them were temporary employees in Cork.

I propose that the closing of iMac lines in Cork and Elk Grove are actually good for Apple. Nevermind all the rhetoric and hype about sending production to more cost-effective (read: lower wage-paying) Korean and Taiwanese companies LG and Alpha Top.

Elk Grove, CA - Building A and Building B. If your Mac was made here, its serial number would begin with XA or XB. Many of the iMacs which used to be made here are now made in Mexico in LG's plant. Building A and Building B are Apple's main North American plants.

Fountain, CO - This was a factory that Apple sold to another company (SCI or SCO or something) and still uses for a bunch of things. Items manufactured here have serial numbers beginning with FC.

Cork, Ireland - People thought that Apple closed this plant, when in reality, they didn't - they merely stopped making iMacs there. Its serial number prefix is CK. There was a rumor that LG had a factory in Wales that was making iMacs, but I don't know the real location of the iMac factory for Europe.

Singapore - Apple's factory in Singapore makes iMac as well. Machines made here are prefixed with SG. Machines are made here for Asia and the Americas, and maybe for other places as well.

So Apple has 4 of its own factories, plus one that belongs to SCI or SCO or something. 4+1. remember that.

When iMac launched, Apple sent out PRs saying that it had factories running 24 hours a day for many months to meet launch demand. And afterwards, some PowerBooks were in short supply because the plants were all tied up making iMacs. From this PR blitz, and the results afterward, we can deduce that Apple's 4+1 factories are not enough to meet worldwide demand for its products. Especially since iMac is so popular.

What can Apple do? They could build a new factory, but that could take months, and it would cost millions. And anything that costs millions is risky for Apple, since it is trying to show as much of a profit as possible, and people can believe that the company is not dying.

Enter LG. LG agrees to make 2 million iMacs per year for Apple. Apple eliminates iMac production in Cork, and limits iMac production in California.

If you've ever studied Microeconomics, you know that there's a lot of value in unused factory space - it represents potential to produce. Of course, it is better to use your space to produce things, but if you need to produce more, you're out of luck. Especially if you're already at maximum capacity, like Apple was before.

Apple sold roughly 2 million iMacs in its first year, and its factories were often pushed to the brink to do so. What if Apple wanted to sell 4 million in a year, and get its retail market share to 20 percent? It couldn't have done that! Apple didn't have that kind of production capacity before it made the deal with LG. After the LG deal, Apple still has 4 factories, plus one from SCI or SCO or whatever, and three from LG (in Korea, Mexico, and Wales?) That's 4 + 4 factories, all of which would appear to have some growing room. Plus, Apple is also having the PowerBook G3 built in another factory.

Apple can now breathe in its 4 original factories and churn out other items. Plus, if demand for iMac increases, Apple can use its 4 factories to churn out a few more iMacs - it's not like they've forgotten how to do it at these plants.

After the LG deal, another contract manufacturer, Alpha Top, got mentioned in the press because it was going to produce iBook for Apple. I honestly don't know how many factories Alpha Top is using for iBook production, but you get the picture - Apple now has at least 4 + 5 factories... and room to grow should they need to.

Now do you understand why companies like Dell and "beleagured" Compaq are (or should be) quaking in their boots? Apple has exciting products, and now they can make them fast enough! And if rumors that Apple has taken all of the 14.1" LCDs are true, we can expect that other companies will be feeling the same pinches that Apple felt when it had billions in backorders a few years ago.

I bet they still can't meet demand. They'll probably have to buy a factory or two from "beleagured" Compaq. :)

Send comments and feedback to Think Secret.

Reader Report: Mac OS 9

A reader sent us his tales of horror and despair with Mac OS 9.0:

Do you somehow have a version of Mac OS 9 in your possession? Got comments?

IBM

As I said last Friday, I would definitely continue to watch what happens with IBM...

Goodbye to MP3.lycos.com

In an interview in the most recent issue of Silicon Alley Reporter magazine, the president of the RIAA stated that the RIAA had negotiated with mp3.lycos.com, and Lycos would soon announce major changes or a shutdown to their MP3 search engine...

Steve Jobs's First Lesson, from Regis McKenna
By Ji-Shim, Think Secret Operative

(Here is a second article by Ji-Shim, a slightly historical-type article written with the intent of showing some people more information and insight on Apple and the people behind it, and how it affected the Apple of today. -Nick dePlume)

In ancient Apple, there was an amazing marketing man. He could tell you that you need Pentium MMX to use the Internet (and not a modem?), and regular people (read: non-geeks) would buy anything the man was selling. He is a legend in Silicon Valley. In fact he, made Silicon Valley. This man's name is Regis McKenna. If you hate Intel, fine, but he also made Apple a success.

Intel had a contract to make an 8088 chip for some product. The product was cancelled, and Andy Grove was ready to kill the whole project, since the real money lay elsewhere.(Yes, back then they made parts for devices, and no one knows what...why? Advertising.) Regis McKenna pushed Andy Grove hard, and urged him to at least keep it open. Then McKenna started advertising to regular people, how an Intel 8088 could make their lives better. (IBM used it in the PC, and the rest is history.) I relate this story only to show just how good this guy was...and is. He made Intel!

OK, so this fiesty Irish advertising man was the guy for Steve (and everyone else in technology). Just like Mike Markkula, Woz, etc., he was an important guy, who saw greatness in Apple in the mid-70's. Fast-forward: remember the Lisa? Apple had a Mac-like machine for business. It had one 68000 CPU and sold for 25K. I am amazed that 60,000 really sold. The CPU was so bogged down with graphic routines that the CPU was practically crippled. It was a failure, and that's how it is remembered, usually. It did not take on IBM, anyway. (The Mac that followed fixed the graphic routines, and came out much cheaper at almost the same feature set.) So, the Apple II was selling well, as it had more software and market share than any computer anywhere. Apple III was a bit of a flop...but with all the add-ons and software packages, the Apple II was selling like crazy to consumers.

Regis McKenna was concerned! Apple was going after IBM, but failed to see what excactly you did to get a whole company using your products. Once a week he called a meeting, or stood up in one. On one side of the chalkboard he wrote Sony and underlined it. On the other side of the board, he wrote IBM in big letters. He would say, "You can be a Sony or an IBM, both are wildly successful companies, but you can't do both." Apple II people were Sony (so was Apple, but don't tell the Lisa team), and everyone went back to their projects thinking they were right. What was Regis talking about? Well, IBM has about 200 people at every company. They sell a big mainframe or two, then drop a PC on every desk, and constantly advise, repair, support and suggest better ways to do things. Sometimes courting companies for two years before a single sale, and then ensuring a stranglehold for 25 years or more.

Apple wanted enterprise to see how "cool" it was, and have whole companies buy it. Regis McKenna knew: the CEO asked the technical guys, who talked to IBM/DEC employees, what he should do, then brought the proposal nine months later to the board, and maybe get it OK'd in a year. If Apple had a 10,000 person sales strike force, fine. It could well have sold and competed with IBM, but who was paying them? It was the consumer market. IBM symbolized everything wrong in America, all suit-wearing, company-song-singing monopoly. Scary, huh?

Steve has in a number of interviews stated that Apple was going to be the next Sony, "Not replace Sony, but like Sony." I hope you have a bit more perspective on this now. Steve further illustrates his lessons by making statements about the other company he owns, Pixar. "We are gong to be the next Disney, not replace it, but like Disney."

The Regis McKenna Lesson is IBM or Sony: Do you want to a) stop all consumer sales and focus 100% on a business unit or b) make technologies that will change the way people live.

Think about the radio (yawn). It was already invented, everyone had one, so what? Game over, right? Sony makes a "Walkman" and now people jog, walk, rollerblade; even people who never listen to the radio bought a Walkman! They reinvented the radio. Amazing! That's a Sony. That's what Apple wants to continue to do: reinvent the rules.

Signing off

Think Secret: the alternative rumor website. This is Nick dePlume for Think Secret, signing off.

August 20, 1999

We'll Be Back on Tuesday

On Tuesday, publication of Think Secret will resume at full speed. A small secret mission is preventing Monday's update from being posted...until then, happy rumormongering.

Nick dePlume
Editor-in-Chief

P.S. If I were you, I'd watch what happens with IBM...

Signing off

Think Secret: the alternative rumor website. This is Nick dePlume for Think Secret, signing off.

August 19, 1999

The dePlume Report: Rumormongering, AAPL, and the Most-Gossiped Event

With operative CHON now contributing tidbit-style articles for publication at Think Secret, I am returning to my role as a weekly columnist, alongside editing the site...

In a recent RFI Report column at MacWEEK.com, Robert Morgan stated, "After the P1 cancellation debacle, some Mac rumor sites have been pretty careful about what they say and don't say about forthcoming hardware. I guess they don't want angry Apple shareholders coming after them with the tar, feathers, split rails and other accoutrements." This statement is very correct. How so? If you spread negative gossip about Apple, there is a very good chance that AAPL won't perform up to par. Or is there?

A Think Secret operative speculated a few months ago that most Macintosh buyers have never heard of rumor sites and don't read them. Nonetheless, some of the largest ones can easily affect Apple's sales and stock price. If series one is out now, and series two will supposedly be out in a week at the same price with more power, who in their right mind would buy series one? Even in the article below, where we ourselves state that the Sawtooth boxes will be released in mid-November, after the current Yosemities clear out: if those Yosemite boxes don't clear out, it could be devastating for sales.

Speculation on the pro PowerBook, Lombard, did not help matters. While consumer portable speculation just built up momentum until its release, and didn't cause any damage, as it was not succeeding any product which people would hold off on buying, sales of Wallstreets suffered due to the long-awaited release of Lombard.

What's my point here? My point is that rumormongering should keep AAPL and Apple's sales in mind, while being sure to provide quality information for readers. Though the occasional speculation won't put Apple out of business (see today's hip Sawtooth story), and providing readers with information they need can be important, also remember how great Apple is doing right now. Let's keep it that way.

-Nick dePlume, Editor-in-Chief

Field Report: Sawtooth Release Date Speculation
By John Starks, Think Secret Operative

Think Secret operative John Starks recently sent us an interesting field report, regarding speculation on the release date of Sawtooth...

While discussing current G3 specials with a sales representative at a major Mac mail-order source, I mentioned the possibility of "waiting for Sawtooth machines in late September." However, the rep mentioned the second week of November as a more likely target date for the new boxes to ship. According to the representative, an Apple rep who was in recent contact with the retailer mentioned the late September release for the G4-based machines. However, other issues such as the remaining volume of Yosemite boxes led the rep to bank on mid-November as the earliest possible realistic date that Sawtooth machines will be for sale.

Got dirt?

Page Size Notes

Several readers have complained about the long page size of the main page, so as new stories are posted throughout the day, larger ones will be moved to the archives, where you can visit them. Apologies for the inconvenience. The Kyu Continuum article can be found here, while the Steve Jobs article can be found at that same address, while an introduction is provided.

The Kyu Continuum: Zen And The Art Of The Reality Distortion Field
By Kyu, Think Secret Operative
Content: Commentary

In yesterday's article about the mindset and perspective of Steve Jobs, Think Secret Operative Ji-Shim revealed Steve Jobs' roots in the discipline known as Zen. Ji-Shim described Steve as fearless and without attachment. He also described Steve as one who will test those around him in a manner that is very unpleasant to the fearful. However, one aspect of Steve's Zen training that went completely unmentioned was the intense focus that Steve has on what he wants.

You see, when you have no fear, then you have nothing to get in the way of getting what you want. When you have fears, then your own confusion, worry, and doubt distract you from getting what you want. However, there is more to it than just removing self-destructive and self-defeating mental habits. When a person has no fear, they know that they will accomplish what they want. There is no doubt about it. They imagine it happening in such vivid detail that they actually see it happening. There is no other possibility except for the one desired. The vision became real in every way, long before it ever manifested in our world.

When a person's vision gets strong enough, other people begin to share in it. They begin to see the reality that the visioner is creating with his or her own mind. As the visioneer gets more excited and passionate about their vision, the vision gains strength in the hearts others. Eventually, this "shared vision" becomes the effect the Mac community currently calls Steve's "Reality Distortion Field". Why does it seem so real when you hear Steve speak it when pundits who were never there pick it to death with fear, uncertainty, and doubt? Steve is, in a very real sense, creating a reality. However, so are the pundits.

We all create our own realities. Most of us just aren't confident enough in ourselves to put any faith in our vision. We alter our vision to match the "apparent reality" which is the consensus reality created by those around us. However, those whose faith is unshakable and who fear little or not at all will not be affected by the fearful realities that surround them. This enhances the "Reality Distortion Effect", because fear is no longer able to affect it at all.

You see, Steve Jobs' "Reality Distortion Field" is a very real phenomenon. Whenever we believe in something enough, and we are passionate enough about it, we create it. Others can feel it. They can taste it. They can see it. The more someone believes in it, the more real it seems to everyone who is open to seeing. Steve Jobs is the perfect example of a functional human being. He cares not about fears, because he has none. He cares not about doubts because he has none. Yes, there are always details to figure out. However, the end goal WILL occur exactly as intended. Whenever life throws you a "curve ball", take a look at your Vision, your fears, your doubts, and your uncertainty. Then you will see that Life didn't throw you the curve ball, but you did. This is how to Think Different.

Mac OS 9 Reader Notes

In a desperate (and failed) attempt to garner a free subscription to MacLiving Magazine, a Think Secret reader sent us his personal note and observations regarding the operation of Mac OS 9 b5c3 on a Gossamer-class G3/300. Nonetheless, we are printing the reader's notes for all to see:

Send us your Mac OS 9 comments.

Signing off

Think Secret: the alternative rumor website. This is Nick dePlume for Think Secret, signing off.

August 18, 1999

Steve Jobs: A Little Look at Who is Running Apple Computer and Kicking Beige!
By Ji-Shim, Think Secret Operative

[Editor's note: Ji-Shim, a Think Secret field operative, has a unique article to show you what's behind Steve Jobs, Apple's iCEO who has turned the company around. Hopefully, articles like these will help some people understand better what's "inside Apple". Please address comments to rumors@thinksecret.com. -Nick dePlume]

Steve Jobs began the PC industry on a staggering "Woz" design. It used so few chips- it was almost free to manufacture in it's first year! I say Steve began the PC industry, because Woz was probably just going to let it sit in his garage, give away the recipe to other geeks, and continue his career at HP as a plain old engineer. [Nonetheless, I still think Woz is extremely hip. :) -Nick dePlume]

So, a brief look at the Apple II showed as an example. Floppy drives were always synched with the CPU for exact timing. This used 160 extra chips, for reasons Woz did not understand. In fact, he said, why sync it at all- let the CPU sort it out when the data is ready, whenever, saving 160 chips and a LOT of money.

The Apple II had BRILLIANT video as well. Using extra CPU cycles to power the entire color screen- replacing again a whole board full of a few hundred components.

This is history; why do I even mention this? Well, it seems while many agree that Steve "Gets It", it appears that no one "Gets Steve". When Steve was a kid, his dad, Paul Jobs, was a "car guy" (worse a Navy car guy- talk about macho!). He rebuilt older cars, made them like new, and resold them at a profit...in his spare time and weekends. Steve often accompanied his father to the junk yard, and Paul would haggle EVERY price down to nothing. It was amazing.

Later, Steve had a job at a tech junk yard. The place carried many thousands of old diodes, capacitors, microchips, embedded chips- you name it. Many were "bad batches", say, only 1 in 1,000 actually worked. HP would "junk" it- yet that ONE good chip was worth 10 times the price of a case of 1,000. Steve not only memorized every part in the whole store, he could spot opportunities which many found daunting. (Find that one chip, and sell it back at a 10x profit, etc.)

Steve did most of the part salvage for Woz's Apple II at either no cost, or in trade. Steve also understood that simplicity in design, form, and function, was profound, like Woz's design was. His Zen training was always saying "Not Two" (implying only ONE). Everything about Steve has this: most simply = most effective. Make no mistake, Steve still sleeps on a mattress on his floor...has no Furniture, and GROWS almost ALL of his food (first in his backyard- now also in the neighboring lot). He may as well be a Mountain Monastery Monk somewhere in Asia.

Fast forward to now. The iMac is almost 1 year old. Apple is kicking beige butt. The iMac was the most SIMPLE way to get word processing, Internet, and yes, games, into one small gorgeous little package. Basic consumer needs do not include video creation, 3D aerospace design, or a professional multimillion-dollar recording studio. In fact, almost all 6 slot 95/9600 Macs have ZERO extra PCI Cards added...ever (or even CPU upgrades). So why charge all consumers extra for under 1% of these users? Simply- not practical. Break out boxes, FireWire, and USB can add everything from video hardware, to sound input, to...what is coming. So, WHO is Steve? Who is running Apple Computer? Why...and why doesn't anyone "Get" Steve? Why are people so confused about what is next? He is a simple, predictable man...who seems to leave people guessing, in shock, and notably some combination of these feelings.

Myths

Steve is a JERK!

Actually, this jerkiness is a misunderstanding. In his life long Zen training this is basic practice. (I hear a collective HUH?) Yes, I will explain. The Zen "Master" is an intimidating figure. He can read your thoughts, you have no secrets...and you want what he has...enlightenment. When a student is finished with his training, he has no fear of this man. He is an ordinary man...then the game is over.

Perhaps you have heard of the Jobs job interview? Shock, emotional pain, joy, and disappointment are so pronounced- no one really forgets it. Steve does research on said applicant. Then, no matter how amazing they look on paper, he finds at least ONE thing that looks iffy...or makes one up. If the applicant won't stand up, say "!@#$ YOU- I did a DAMN good job there, and if you dont want me, I'll walk!" (You are hired) If you won't speak up, who will blow the whistle when the next Copland fiasco starts?!

Also, the large "Hey I have a GREAT IDEA" group (about 100 per day). Verbally assault the guy, shock, the whole thing, and FAST, so he has no time to react between assaults. Then STOP. If the person can speak coherently...or at all...and the idea can still be enthusiastically explained, then the idea holds wieght. If they run away...it does not. (This does an amazing job of cutting out "I 'Think' maybe this is a good way"- as you know EVERYONE has maybes, even armchair-CEO types like Don Crabb etc.)

Steve is an Ego-maniac

Far from it. As a true Zen practitioner, he has NO FEAR. Which frightens people with fears. (Say you're afraid this will kill your career, if it's a mistake.) I know, MANY people say "He can afford to work for free at Apple, he's worth over one billion," but honestly, unlike say...Bill Gates, Steve sees only a means of making the world a better place. Money? He lives in a middle-class neigborhood, right near where he grew up. He drives an old Mercedes (two, in case one's in the shop). Safe family transport- cheap.

How do you know all this stuff?

Well, I am also a Zen practitioner. I went to all the same places Steve went. One World Farm (a.k.a. "The Farm") in Oregon. (They made us pick APPLES! Hehehe...) Also, I was one of many at a "local" temple, when a young Steve Jobs wrestled with the question(s) we ALL had. Should I become a Monk, and leave behind everything worldy to realize this Ultimate Truth? The Monk answered his question, in fact all of our questions with that answer: "The truth is within you, it makes no difference where you go- there you are." Then, the last, "It is easy to be a Holy man in the Mountains, but you must return to the City after your training is complete- if you can still maintain this 'One Mind' in ordinary Life, you will have achieved this." So, why go to the Mountains at all? No reason, and here we all are. -Ji-Shim

Signing off

Got dirt? This is Nick dePlume for Think Secret, signing off.

August 17, 1999

Reader Feedback: PowerMac Marketing Error

A Think Secret reader sent in the following feedback regarding our recent story about the PowerMac marketing error (which sent retailers posters picturing IR-type port equipped PowerMacs): "A possibility people haven't mentioned so far: perhaps the pictures are real, and the IR port is the result of the ongoing Apple/Palm collaboration? Wireless sync would be nice."

While it is very, nah, extremely doubtful that the picture are real in any way, that is, resemble a future PowerMac, that brings up some interesting food for thought.

MacLoop Network Officially Launches

Though the network infrastructure was put up yesterday, today is the official launch of MacLoop - The MacLiving Network. Check out the MacLoop page for info on the sites, or check out MacLiving Daily for a quick summary.

Think Secret Links: Free Internet, Freeware, and QuickTime TV

Think Secret contributing editor Christian Wagner has informed us that a company called freei.net (and available at that URL) is offering free net access in a slew of major metropolitan areas throughout the country, and is also expanding, and they want to support the Macintosh platform. However, they need beta-testers for their Mac client...while we haven't tried it ourselves, some of you beta-tester fans might like to have a look at it.

While I'm at it, we were tipped off to the existance of a cool Mac freeware site, Macs.Bon.Net. Be sure to check it out. Also, a reader wrote in to report the following: "It looks like the QuickTimeTV.com website has changed...it doesn't look like a big deal, but I thought you should know." Well, it has certainly changed, but yes, it is very minor...hmm...

Advertisement: Nexus and Orion in Stock at MacGurus

Think Secret advertiser MacGurus has the ATI Rage 128 Nexus and Orion both in-stock, along with the XLR8 CarrierZIP 450, which is the first of the 10x G3s. Head down to MacGurus and satisfy your craving for performance upgrades!

Signing off

Got dirt? This is Nick dePlume for Think Secret, signing off.

August 16, 1999

Think Secret Joins the MacLoop Network!

I have a very important announcement: Think Secret is a member of the new MacLoop Network, which has launched just today. MacLoop, which is the MacLiving Network, is revolutionary, and contains some wonderful, already established sites, such as MacLiving Daily, Mac3D, and AppleWizards' Mini-Reviews. Joining this mix are a host of new sites, including RavesandCraves.com, Geektastic, and StickiesStrip. This isn't just any old network, it's an infinite loop of Mac coolness. Be sure to visit the MacLoop home page, to check out all of the sites.

Universal Motherboard Architecture Update
New Products We'll Be Seeing This Next Year
By Ji-Shim, Think Secret Operative

By the end of this fiscal quarter, with an October launch at the latest, Apple will launch all products with 2x AGP, at 133Mhz, and Ultra ATA 66 , at 66MB/sec. ASICs (that's Application Specific Integrated Circuits, which, in non-geek terms, integrates hardware and software more fully to make your Macintosh more speedy and responsive) for ATA 66 include USB and also FireWire, which lowers componant prices and can be launched across the pro and consumer product lines.

iMac 2.0, also known as Kehei (named after Steve's favorite vacation spot) will feature larger screens, FireWire, 2x AGP graphics 8 MB, ATA 66, and, of course, the USB which we know and love. As does the iBook although it has FireWire I/O chips: it is undecided whether this is an asked-for consumer addition, or a pro-only option. Sources would appreciate feedback: do consumers need FireWire?

As for Sawtooth, G4 boxes should be shipping in Quad CPU options, in late September or October. These should start at a minimum speed of 450MHz. You can read about the iBook at Apple.com, of course...Pro PowerBooks sporting these features will be announced withen six months.

With that said, anything can and will go wrong. From hard drive delivery, to defective embedded circuits, and who knows what else. It is no small feat to have hundreds of different producers all complete everything at the same time.

To better relate to what it's like inside Apple: the ATI Rage 128 which has shipped in the G3s since last January, they are great, no? Yet ATI still isn't finished with the technology. Apple had to create its own driver team to ensure shipping, and ATI is just shipping Rage Orion cards now. With delay after delay, it's a good thing that Apple didn't get ATI handle the drivers, or we would just be seeing the first shipments!

This holiday and back-to-school season, Apple will be showing some frightening assaults on the consumer markets, and the pro markets will be given the most powerful computers you can buy for love or money, at lower than G3 prices. Let's get ready to rock!

Apple wants to show double revenue growth, and secure it's "Back from the Dead" status, both to Wall Street and consumers. It is interesting to note that Apple's stock price went over 61, which is very good, considering that 18 months ago it was at 12. Apparently, many financial analysts aware of this strategy want to make a large profit of this stunning assortment of bold new products...

Universal Motherboard Architecture and the Performance/Power of Future Macs
By Ji-Shim

The 101 PowerBook G3 brought the world of ASICs into public view. This was the said "culprit" of the late shipping of 101. In geek terms, ASICs are Application Specific Integrated Circuits. For a non-geek translation: when we start up or double-click something, or we connect to the internet, the OS knows excactly what to do to get your hardware working. This makes the Mac seem ever more like a combination of hardware and software, designed to function at levels which PCs cannot fathom.

One would have to be extremely stupid not to notice the financial wonders which have occured at Apple since the return of current iCEO Steve Jobs. Seven straight profitable quarters, doubling marketshare every twelve months, the top selling computer in the world (iMac), over three billion dollars in cash, a rising stock price from 12 3/4 to 55 and above...What's coming next? More importantly, where is all this new-found wealth coming from?

First, it is important for you to understand that Steve is essentially a cheapskate. Okay, he drives old cars, has no furniture, grows his own food, and sleeps on a mattress on the floor, but that's his life. He is even more of a cheapskate with other people's money. Obviously, the high-end Macs are not $5,500 anymore. In fact, a 450Mhz G3 with UW SCSI-2 LVD HD/128MB RAM/Loaded is $2,999 MSRP. Yet, even a 350Mhz G3 has a fast UDMA Hard Drive/16 MB Rage128 graphics card, which is an excellent machine, goes for $1599. That's almost what a similiar name-brand PC costs, at slightly less performance, and a god awful OS.

So, the trend here is to use standard PC parts wherever possible. To give you an idea of the kind of money this saves, a HD for a Mac SCSI 7200 rpm 9.1GB costs $299. Yet for $299, an Ultra ATA/66 get's you a 20GB hard drive. Some say, well, SCSI is better. In some ways SCSI is better, for some applications. Usually the excessively high-end sector.

In terms of the bang-for-buck factor, dropping 2 20GB UDMA hard drives in a G3 and RAID stripping them yields over 25MB/sec sustained throughput and 40GB capacity. What does SCSI offer as a 40GB solution? Video RAID has a 34GB UW-2LVD PCI Card and external hard drives at $1449.99, but at only 18MB/sec. 2.5 times the price for 2/3 the performance. ATA has come a long way, even for high end.

The Universal Motherboard Architecture, known commonly as UMA, is a way to make one board, use it in every single Macintosh, and reduce manufacturing costs. This, of course, would save you money when you go and buy a Mac. Compare this with the twenty different motherboards one which Apple lost two billion dollars in a two-year period.

I bet you'd love to know what features we get on these UMA Macs? Well, the iBook is already the first born UMA Macintosh, so there are tons of hints.

ATA 66 (66MB/sec throughput for hard drives), AGP (Advanced Graphics Port), and increasingly faster bus speeds...in another brilliant Jobs money saver, USB, FireWire, and ATA 66 all share a single ASIC. This saves both money, space, and heat.

Why? Well, you may have noticed that a new Voodoo Mac card costs $200, but an AGP PC card is only 50 dollars! For a Umax scanner with SCSI, you pay more. If you had PC ports, everything would be cheaper, because with all of the PCs in existance, it brings the cost lower for the buyer, and performance is maintained. To tool up for a Mac product, or write a driver, can cost a lot of money, so in order to just break even, they need to charge us an exorbitant amount: that's an amount that no one wants to pay. After the company pays expenses, it's just a question of profits, in addition to competition. So, Apple can buy parts for Macs that cost less and perform well, at a lower cost. Which, in turn, makes us have to shell out less for a new Macintosh, and the same goes for the addition of new peripherals. Note the prices for RAM on the new G3: a 128MB PC100 DIMM costs $75, while on your old Mac, you might end up shelling out $129 for only 64MB of RAM...and it got worse.

When? By next summer, everything should be in place. Adding the awesome G4...G4s allow a 128 bit bus to move data around twice as fast and carry a 2MB backside cache. FireWire RAID should provide blistering performance as it doubles in speed every nine months, being 50MB/sec now, with 100MB/sec coming soon...and beyond. Also, everything USB should be the rule, not the exception.

These UMA G4s will be available in 2,4, and hopefully even 16 CPU arrangements, although the 1st G4s will ship late this year, or early next year. UMA will need a little more time to implement. Enjoy the ride. At that point, no benchmark will redeem a Pentium.

Several readers wrote in to report that the image at the Apple Store was changed, as the picture was replaced by the same picture, lacking the IR-type ports. This, of course, makes sense: Apple is removing all of the "defective" material.

Many of you read our Tuesday afternoon article about the marketing error involving promotional materials sent to resellers to tout the new PowerMac deal from Apple; the pictures of the PowerMacs had some sort of IR-type port. Additionally, we provided the PDF for download. (See the archived story for more information.) DailyiMac.com also reported on this Wednesday morning.

First off, many readers wrote in to report that the image in question appears on the main page of the Apple Store, as the link to the page to order servers. Secondly, Apple has told Macintosh resellers that the materials in question must be destroyed due to a "printing error". Apple stated that the poster which was created for the promotion was printed inaccurately, and that resellers should "destroy it immediately".

Consensus seems to be that it was a pre-release image of the Blue and White with IR. While AirPort doesn't seem to need any kind of IR-style port, it has been said that Airport for the PowerBook G3 has a similar part which acts as an antenna. Another reader reported seeing it in Boston, where a store manager claimed that it was an error, but was indeed the next PowerMac. There must have been some confusion, because this image is decidedly not the next PowerMac.

Interesting interview with Jef Raskin at MacNerds
Thoughts on OS 9 Copyright Issues at MacRelations
Leading OS X Site Looks for OS X Server-Savvy Contributors at The X Appeal
Quality iBook News and Information at The iBook Zone

Says ZDNet's Inter@ctive Week (bottom of story), IBM will be showing a G3 powered Linux Thin Client Server at LinuxWorld. And Apple "optimized" the G3 to run the Mac OS faster, spending millions of dollars touting the chip's superiority, and it is owned together by the AIM alliance. What does this IBM G3 Linux server mean? While IBM still thinks the Java server plus a web browser Thin Client (disposable) box is viable (and Netscape gone), this offers something in between a huge IBM server and a cheap Pentium. How can IBM do this, one might ask? It doesn't say that Apple gave it the okay, but they did.

Apple has made many efforts in open source, including the open-sourcing of Quicktime Streaming Server (keep our streams free, no server tax-ads), opening portions of Mac OS X, and also work with LinuxPPC. So why IBM and not just Apple selling Linux servers? One might assume that Apple doesn't want to go down that road. (Customer support would be murder!)

Linux can truly be a scary place for anyone who's not a Unix expert. Apple's OS X Server (and the on-the-way consumer version) not only supports Unix applications, by virtue of being Mach/POSIX and BSD 4.4 compliant, but it's easier to use by humans, as well as experts, and sports a newer version of the Mach microkernal, invented by our very own Avadis Tevanian.

And unlike Linux, you can walk into a store, buy Microsoft Office, some games, and make one heck of a server out of it. Linux's lack of real commercial software support, as well as the "ease-of-use factor", doesn't make it a threat to Mac sales, either. Maybe those Linux programmers may want to work on a platform which supports Unix and has software support. They may well become Mac OS X writers soon.

Sources at a Mac reseller passed along this picture to us, which was included in a posters and a PDF for the current Power Macintosh G3 line. You'll notice that there appears to be some sort of an IR port on the front of the case. Some claim that it is AirPort, but that may be unlikely. Most affirm that it is decidedly not IR. You can draw your own conclusions.

Being that this image came directly from Apple, it looks like a horrible marketing mistake simply occured...One last possibility is that the picture is an old one from the pre-Rev C iMac era, and they were slated to have IR ports and then were removed at the last minute. A very interesting piece of speculation, indeed.

Well, it has been an interesting couple of weeks since I penned (typed) my last article. It seemed that every time I decided to sit down and write, something new popped up into the world of Apple, which stopped me. While I am an enthusiastic Apple fan and my first two articles were positive in tone, I have a couple concerns about the company and was planning on airing them. But then along came the yapping wiener-dog of computer pundits, John C. Dvorak, and his purposeful attack on the iBook.

I have no problem with Mr. Dvorak expressing his opinion or even the on-the-verge-of-sexist, almost demeaning attitude towards women style which he chose to use in his criticism of the iBook. (And while I don't agree with his choice, if he wants to make a buffoon out of himself, I'm not going to stop him.) What I object to is that he, in other venues, states he writes such articles merely to annoy and stir up Apple fans. And I find this to be even more annoying since he seems to have little criticism towards the actual workings of the iBook.

Is ZDNet that desperate for advertising revenue that its staff must resort to these tactics to draw in hits? They know that such "attack articles" draw in huge numbers of Apple fans...or is news of Compaq's announcement that it is poised to lose a billion dollars this year not important? God knows we're still hearing about Apple's billion dollar losses which occured a few years ago.

What's the point here? Why all the fuss? While Apple has made a remarkable comeback, it still lags behind Wintel in number of users. So why would people like Mr. Dvorak go after a smaller group, which some might describe as being "niche"?

Because as Apple fans, we are a much tighter group than Wintel fans. For every gung-ho Windows fanatic there is some guy who bought a POS Compaq who can't upgrade his CPU without buying a new, proprietary motherboard. For every Dell fan, there are more than a few folks annoyed by having to reinstall Windows 95 every month (or week) due to software problems. Yes, there are a few Apple clone fans out there, but I think that most of them recognize that cloning came pretty close to killing off Apple entirely. Even the near-rabid Linux fans have started forming their own subgroups. And you really don't want to upset them, they know too much...

So Apple fans are a pretty juicy target for pundits out there. You wanna make a name for yourself? Write a couple attack articles - even better, throw in a pointless sexist angle and avoid the real facts - and you'll be a sure fire hit. And it's a great way to avoid having to point out the problems in the world of Wintel.

Let's face it, most pundits are old-school computer types who think boxes should be beige and need a full time system admin to keep them running. Apple is rapidly moving away from that paradigm and towards the consumer. Plus, most pundits haven't been a Joe Average consumer in quite a while - they "know" too much about computers to fall into that category. Back in the ancient days of the pre-silicon microchip mainframe, if I remember properly, engineers scoffed at the idea of the microchip cause there was no way to repair one if it broke. They didn't understand that inexpensive and disposable microchips would be the path of the future.

Similarly, the future of computers is not the low cost PC, it is the "low-geek" computer, if you will. A device that needs as little oversight and maintenance as possible. Think, folks, when was the last time you upgraded the tuner in your TV? When was the last time you reinstalled the OS on your VCR? While we aren't there yet, Apple, with the iMac, iBook, and Airport, is making progress.

So what do we do about this? Avoid rabid attack articles and the sites that post them. Don't fall for the trolling pundits - don't email them and don't post messages on their web boards. If someone has a legitimate complaint about Apple, read it and post thoughtful comments, but don't flame them just for disagreeing with you. Take the wind out of their sails and maybe, just maybe, they'll find a juicier target at which to take aim.

A reader sent us his thoughts about our recent Mac OS 9 trademark law editorial:

Fear, Uncertainty, and Ignorance: By Trademark Law, Mac OS 9 is Fine
by G. E. Green III

Starting last year, there was continual gossip floating the web that Apple would never release a "Mac OS 9" because some relatively little-known company had trademarked the name. However, this is hardly the case, and many media outlets, both web and print, exhibited an ignorance of trademark law in their reportage of this item. Unfortunately, far too many mainstream publications have picked up this silly notion and run with it, thus fooling unsuspecting Mac netizens into thinking there is any validity at all to this claim.

Let's get straight to the point. The story goes like this: Microware has a trademark on OS-9. You see, OS-9 and Mac OS 9 are two totally different things. Regardless of what trademarks Microware might hold, Apple holds a trademark on Mac OS. That is Mac -space- OS. Thus for all intents and legal purposes the words preceeding Mac OS 8.5, or 7, or even 9 might just as well spell hamburger backwards. It's a trademark followed by a version number. Observe:

Despite what you may feel about the ethics of how this works, that is very specifically how it works in a legal sense. There are also questions as to how well OS 9 would hold up anyway in court given as OS stands for operating system, which is a part of any computer. I might just as well start trademarking ROM 6 so that any unsuspecting company has to pay me cash to use the name.

Now I wouldn't be surprised if Microware did try to take Apple to court. However in the end one of two things would happen. Apple could spend a ridiculous amount of cash defending itself with competent folks who can explain precisely what I just have, or they could cut a deal, and license OS 9 just to shut up Microware. Knowing Steve Jobs though I think the latter is highly unlikely, since he, and Apple, now vigorously defend their trademarks, and brand image. I'd first seen him name the product Mac OS 9.0.

Finally I'd like to point out that the product will not be called Mac OS 8.7. At Macworld Expo in New York, Jobs clearly intimated that it would be Mac OS 9, with a great big logo of Mac OS 9 on the screen. If anyone were going to file suit over this they would have already, and the media would be whipping everyone into a frenzy. All you're likely to see come out of this is a bunch of press types shaking their heads in columns after it's release stating that there simply MUST be some secret deal between Apple and Microware, or how surprised they are that Apple wasn't sued. In truth they will simply remain in the dark as to how trademarks work, and simply misinform a lot of people. So hopefully you've read this and at least you won't have to run around in the dark with them, and can instead rest assured that Mac OS 9 will be released shortly, amid a legal silence from Microware and no more than an average amount of foolish columnists.

Secondly. You will notice our new logo, which, of course, uses the iBook. We received an enormous response to our call for a new logo for Think Secret which would use the iBook, and received many wonderful ones, and it was difficult to select the one which is now in use. But, without further ado, I would like to offer numerous thanks to BG McCollum for the logo which we are now using. Also, thanks to Andreas C. Bauer, Paul Samboryk, and Dan Knight of LowEndMac.com for sending us their excellent logos.

Thanks to all of my readers who tuned into KSFQ two weeks ago, when, on the morning show of which, I was on as a guest...we are considering releasing a recording for the public. Stay tuned to Think Secret for updates, and any future radio events like this one will, as always, be announced.

Also, we have updated and reorganized our operations page. Be sure to check it out.

Lastly. Thank you to all of the readers who sent me 5300cs tips. Since it was a rental, there was very little I could do with the system software (namely, upgrading it to 8.1), which most likely caused stability to suffer, but nonetheless, things worked fine. You can see that from the fact that I continued updates from the southwest...and I am happy to report that I am back at the offices of Think Secret Operations and publication is resuming as usual.

As many readers know, Think Secret has been following the interesting subject of Apple logo merchandise, or the lack thereof, for quite some time. And those of you who attended the recent Macworld Expo in New York most likely noticed the lack of the Apple-logo Merchandise booth, especially if you have attended regularly for several years.

One of Think Secret's operatives who was at MWNY recently passed an interesting piece of information on to us. When chatting with the staff of the Macworld Expo Merchandise booth (which sells items with the Macworld Expo logo on them), our operatives discovered that the termination of the Apple Merchandise booth was very much a last-minute decision. Apparently, it was "steved" because Steve Jobs wasn't pleased with the way that the logos looked on the t-shirts. In the words of our operative, "The whole booth, gone. *Poof*."

According to the staff of the Macworld Expo Merchandise booth, who gave our operative this information, they would have made arrangements to sell Apple merchandise also, if they had known.

As an aside, we have received unconfirmed reports that IBM is going to be coming out with a 25 GB expansion-bay drive for the PowerBook G3, which is supposed to be incredibly fast, faster than the internal HD and fast enough for digital video. Time will tell...

Yes, we have worked the iBook into Think Secret's logo. It will remain this way until we can find a better way to implement the iBook into our logo design. If anyone out there has a better logo idea, send it to this address for consideration. Remember that we want to continue using the words Think Secret in Garamond Narrow.

In other news, I have returned from my trip. Things should be fully operational withen days. Thank you for your continued patience.

Beginning Monday, August 2, Apple's StartingLine Program will be offering iMac "Yum" shirts & posters and Think different poster series #4. Check it out Monday morning at http://www.apple.com/thinkdifferent/tshirts. This sale will run through the end of August. The "Yum" shirts are selling for $13.95 each, the "Yum" posters are $7.95 for two and the Think different poster series is $13.95 for a set of four. The poster series #4 includes Frank Sinatra, Cesar Chavez, Jackie Robinson, and Richard Feynman. These items are great gifts and are sure to become collectors items.

At first glance, it seems that AOL has dragged Apple into its instant-messenging war against Microsoft. But how different is it from the agreement Apple has with Microsoft? Both state that the respective companies will further develop their Mac OS products and imply that Apple is allied with them (if one is to believe that Microsoft is actually capable of such a thing). In any case, neither agreement says that Apple must be exclusive to Microsoft's web browser or AOL's instant messenger. Apple definitely has an advantage here - while the titans wage their battles, they can continue to improve products and expand market share, free of these competitive pressures.

As for what the Apple-AOL agreement actually implies, think integrated instant messaging with the OS. This would complement the email client being written for Mac OS X very well. -CHON