[G4] Black boxes (was: IBM chip fabs)

[jgvp]

Just shows you how times have changed, Joe. I once was asked by the 
postal authorities to facilitate the sorting of the vast numbers of 
return envelopes used by the corporation I worked for. After 
deliberating with the envelope manufacturer and the postal authority we 
all decided in the interests of economy that the best option would be 
to have a black stripe running diagonally across the lower left corner 
of the envelope.

. Well, we were flooded with correspondence from irate customers who 
wrote such comments as: "funereal", "I'm not dead yet", " does this 
signal the end of xxxx ? " etc., etc.

  I wonder when my G5 Black Box arrives, should I seize the opportunity 
to finally get in some retaliatory whacks with similar comments to 
those at Apple who opted for the cursed Black Box ? <s>


On Saturday, August 23, 2003, at 12:24  AM, Power Macintosh G4 List 
wrote:

> Message-Id: <p05210612bb6bbef872f7@[192.168.1.254]>
> Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2003 08:54:37 -0400
> From: "Joseph B. Gurman" <gurman at gsfc.nasa.gov>
> Subject: [G4] Black boxes (was: IBM chip fabs)
>
>      jgvp wrote:
>
> [snip]
>> What I find strange is the dearth of actual purchasers reporting on
>> their experiences with the new G5. Maybe I should seek out the G5
>> newsgroup ? <s> I've only seen one report so far but that was
>> restricted to the fact that it had just been received. As you say, 
>> time
>> will tell. I sincerely hope nothing negative comes about for all
>> concerned as we all need a boost after all the events of this year so
>> far.
>
>      Well, you could say it's because all the end users who actually
> received their G5's are recovering from the tree impact, and trying
> to find a general contractor who can manage the repair of the massive
> structural damage to their homes or places of work. (Pity the ones on
> the upper floors of tall buildings).
>
>      My theory is that Apple forgot to include in its "now shipping"
> press release the tiny detail that it meant it had loaded several
> very slow trucks with G5's, treated all the drivers to a big meal
> (but no coffee),  and sent them on their way to distributors on the
> East Coast, Apple Stores, and agencies like the NSA, that are unable
> to talk about anything. And, of course, the DHL plane full of nice,
> black G5 boxes headed for the Falklands Islands Apple Store.
>
>      I am surprised that the mere absence of the G5's themselves has
> prevented TheMacintoshGuy, or anyone else, from starting a G5
> list.... after all, look at all the substantive [coughs] discussion
> here on the subject.... from people who don't have one.... yet....
> like me.
>
> P.S. Speaking of nice, new, black shipping boxes.... a 12-inch
> PowerBook G4 we ordered for a member of our group a couple of weeks
> ago was mysteriously delayed by one week after an initially early
> ship date. It arrived yesterday, in a black box. The graphics look
> similar to the ones on the G5 box, as portrayed on the Apple homepage
> (I say portrayed, but no one we know has seen a _real_ G5 box,
> right?). I guess the ever style-conscious Apple wants to be certain
> all the boxes in its stores are the same color.
>
> P.P.S. Of course, this could suggest another reason for the delay in
> the appearance of the G5's: Apple's waiting until all the Apple
> Stores are repainted black before putting the boxes on display.
> --