Associated Press Slams Apple, iMac

by , 2:15 PM EST, December 30th, 2002

The Associated Press has published an end-of-the-year piece by Larry Blasko that kicks off with a slam on Apple and the iMac. The article is titled "2002's Dubious Achievements in Computing," and takes issue with the iMac, Windows XP, Microsoft itself, and game developers who use violence to sell games. The iMac is slammed as being overpriced and underpowered, with Mr. Blasko relying on incorrect pricing to support his complaint. From the AP article:

Year's end traditionally brings a mood of reflection to those of us who write for newspapers. It may be the melancholy of short days and long nights.

But it could also be the need to fill the space when nothing much is happening.

That said, herewith the annual CompuBug Dubious Achievement in Personal Computing awards.

The DLAPAPA (Designed Liker A Picasso And Priced Accordingly) award goes to Apple Computer for the design of its latest iMac, the one that looks like half a round melon impaled with a bent easel. You have to shell out $1,499 to get one with a CD-RW drive, chugging along on a 700-megahertz processor.

The 700 MHz CD-RW iMac is actually priced at US$1,199, and not US$1,499 as Mr. Blasko claims. You can read the full article, including the pokes at Microsoft and other companies, at Yahoo!'s Web site.

The Mac Observer Spin:

The opinion on whether or not the iMac is underpowered with a 700 MHz G4 is as subjective as it can be, and we will leave Mr. Blasko to his opinion. It's a bit sad, however, that the fact checking on an article from an organization like the AP could be as sloppy as allowing a price to be misquoted.

AP Article