Rupert Goodwins' Diary

Monday 29/04/2002

Lord, it's huge! Apple does its bit for schools by launching the eMac, a testosterone-fuelled old-style iMac with a 17-inch CRT screen. Weighing in at some 50lbs, the thing looks from a distance like its old curvy sibling, but the closer you get the more it looks like something that's evolved on an isolated island, free from predators, until it got so fat it could barely fall over its own feet. At least nobody's going to be able to nick one.

Lots of people wanted something like this a year or so ago -- and doubtless it was ready to roll then, until Apple looked at the price of LCDs, looked at the way it wanted the market to go and decided to put this project off to one side while it concentrated on moving everyone over to shiny anglepoise technology. Doubtless, lots of people would like something like this now.

But like the eMate -- remember that? -- where Apple took the much-loved Newton technology, put it in a funky new form factor and refused point-blank to sell it to anyone who wasn't actually wearing a baseball cap backwards and listening to Weezer, mother knows best. We can't buy one, because we're not at school. They won't take our money. Now, that's what I call subtle marketing.