Enter the iMacGotcha

July 16, 1998

To say that the iMac is the first consumer product in years — leave alone computer — to elicit the strong reaction as it has from everyone who's seen it (or at least images of it) is an understatement. And as we might expect, these responses didn't take too long coming. We first witnessed the various possible incarnations of Apple's latest offering. Then along came the iBeetle, complete with the recent follow-up BeetleMac commercial for good measure. Some enlightened soul further theorised the possible genetic link between the oddly-shaped computer and an equally weird-looking 1957 German motorcar.

So I thought I'd throw in my two bytes' worth and suggest that the iMac's translucent design was largely inspired by the hugely successful Tamagotchi, the egg-shaped virtual pet that was created by Japanese toymakers Bandai and which sold in the millions around the world. Take a look at these cute little things if the similarity still eludes you. Why, Apple had even wanted to name the color of the iMac Bandai blue at first, before deciding to change it to something similar-sounding.

As to why the Tamagotchi became such a runaway success, especially so in its country of origin, I can only make the educated guess that the Japanese seem to have a soft spot for all things small. Miniaturisation is BIG in Japan. It is deeply rooted within the Japanese culture (think bonsai), and probably linked to the fact that the Japanese are totally adept at living and working within relatively confined spaces. And so, economy of space gradually evolved from being a mere functional prerequisite to a fundamental philosophy of design itself. And that was the philosophy that gave the world the Walkman.

And as far as it concerns Apple, it also explains why compact Macs, particularly the Color Classic, attained what could only be described as cult status within Japan, with many clubs and websites such as the Color Classic Power Up Web Page dedicated to these Macs. I mean, they even figured a way to make the Color Classic run on a PowerPC 603 chip and boost the built-in 10" screen resolution to 640 by 480! Why all the effort, you ask? I think, because all this while, Apple hasn't offered a truly compelling product reminiscent of those 'compact macs' that would appeal to its Japanese consumers. Not until now.

Enter the iMac. When this baby is launched in Tokyo next month, expect it to be HUGE. Because as far as the Japanese are concerned, the iMac's not just any computer. It's a Godzilla tucked inside an oversized Tamagotchi shell. And it's got the BYTEmarks to prove it.

Godzilla indeed! [July 20, 1998]
Following my recent whimsical yarn above, I couldn't help feeling amused upon reading this recent Reality News report. Apparently, their investigators have just uncovered an interesting piece of information about an alleged next-generation dual G4 processor card, namely that it's supposedly the major portion of an Apple project codenamed — ready for this? — 'Godzilla', and that the codename could be linked to one of Apple's future casing designs. So, the Godzilla-iMac idea isn't so far-fetched after all. Like the saying goes... be careful what you wish for; because it might just come true.

---

More Articles:

Upgraded Twice Over — And Grateful [Oct 10, 2001]

Welcome To The Future [Mar 21, 2001]

iM2 — Incredible Milestones of The iMac NewsPage [Jun 1, 2000]

What's to like about Netscape 6? Quite a bit [Apr 17, 2000]

Dealing with IE5's font and resolution settings [Mar 28, 2000]

Free Internet Arrives in Singapore [Dec 12, 1999]

Mac sales in Japan (Dec 1999) [Dec 9, 1999]

Mac sales in Japan (Nov 8-14) - iMac DV SE, iBook still #1 [Nov 23, 1999]

Adding Movies To QuickTime Favorites [Nov 23, 1999]

Black Magix: Try saying hocus-bogus [Nov 19, 1999]

Mac sales in Japan (Oct 25-31) [Nov 11, 1999]

QuickTime Live! Conference Keynote Highlights [Nov 10, 1999]

Update on Mac sales in Japan — All iMacs, iBooks among Top 10 [Nov 10, 1999]

Apple tops October PC sales in Japan [Nov 7, 1999]

About that mysterious Magix freeze [Nov 7, 1999]

Magix Miscellany [Nov 7, 1999]

Make Kihei while the Sun shines [Nov 3, 1999]

Apples in Eden — The Singapore iBook Launch [Nov 1, 1999]

One Country, Two Systems — The Apple Store (Hongkong) Opens [Oct 28, 1999]

Apple Store Singapore Opens — Right On Time [Oct 20, 1999]

Mac sales in Japan remain strong [Oct 26, 1999]

Magix For The Mac — The Unofficial FAQ [Oct 25, 1999]

Macs outsell all other computers in Japan [Oct 21, 1999]

Asia Apple Stores to open in Singapore and Hongkong [Oct 20, 1999]

Magix Broadband for Macintosh — for just $48! [Oct 20, 1999]

Asia Apple Store Update [Oct 18, 1999]

New iMacs as quiet as Jobs claims [Oct 12, 1999]

New iMacs quieter than Jobs claims? [Oct 10, 1999]

Asia Apple Store Seeks Tech Support Temp [Sep 23, 1999]

G4 — the Real Story? [Sep 17, 1999]

Sorenson Broadcaster™ Press Release [Sep 15, 1999]

Magix for iMac Update [Sep 10, 1999]

Magix for iMac Update [Aug 30, 1999]

PC Fairy Tales: Jobs And The Binstock [Aug 20, 1999]

AirPort Delays: More Revelations [Aug 12, 1999]

Stand Up For Macintosh [Aug 12, 1999]

AirPort Delays: What's Not Causing It [Aug 11, 1999]

Dumb iBook Remarks [Aug 9, 1999]

The Avon Lady's Back [Aug 9, 1999]

The IEEE 802.11 Standard — in English [Jul 29, 1999]

Everybody's Free (To Buy iBook) [Jul 26, 1999]

AirPort Fallacies [Jul 24, 1999]

iBook and iMac: Sibling Rivalry? [Jul 23, 1999]

Just The FAQs, Man [Jul 22, 1999]

Hooray for AirPort — But Remember the McPiper? [Jul 21, 1999]

Additional Notes on Magix ADSL [Jul 20, 1999]

Apple, SingTel Magix team up to bring ADSL to iMacs [Jul 20, 1999]

DuoPen & e-Pad coming to the Mac [Jul 9, 1999]

Macworld is out, Publish! World is in [Jul 5, 1999]

Discovery Channel giving away iMacs [Jun 28, 1999]

TIME Asia giving away Apple computers [Jun 28, 1999]

Diamond Rio makes a play for iMac [Jun 26, 1999]

Magix for iMac [Jun 25, 1999]

Why would Apple want 30,000 McPipers? [Jun 24, 1999]

Singapore Macworld Expo Cancelled [Jun 20, 1999]

The Sunscreen Song [Jun 20, 1999]

Coming Soon: A USB Cordless Phone For Your iMac [Jun 19, 1999]

Third Voice: Boon or Bane? [Jun 14, 1999]

I2: The Internet Of The Future [Jun 5, 1999]

Taming Your Round Mouse: What The Manual Doesn't Say [Jun 4, 1999]

UniTrap: Contour Enhancement for the iMac Mouse [Jun 1, 1999]

iMacs to ship in Taiwan with free Chinese software [May 31, 1999]

Where The Truth Lies [May 23, 1999]

QuickTime 4: New Features Added [May 8, 1999]

QuickTime 4: The Beta Just Got Better [May 5, 1999]

Rev A or B, Your iMac's Still Good [Apr 30, 1999]

Griffin Revs Up iMate, iPort, and gPort [Apr 26, 1999]

Quick! Time 4 A Movie! [Apr 23, 1999]

Message in a Bottle: A Present for the Future [Apr 22, 1999]

Start a Hand-Me-Down Program For iMacs [Apr 13, 1999]

First Signs Of Y2K Bug May Appear Tomorrow [Apr 8, 1999]

Langa's Cruisin' For A Bruisin' [Apr 1, 1999]

Tales From The Dark Side [Mar 31, 1999]

Has The Age of Disposable Computers Arrived? [Mar 30, 1999]

A Solution For The iMac's Mouse: Simple As A Dimple [Mar 24, 1999]

Steve Jobs Interview on Channel NewsAsia [Mar 14, 1999]

Good-Buy, Bondi [Mar 6, 1999]

Tokyo Tidbits: Carbon iMacs and Cool Colored Speakers [Feb 27, 1999]

The iMac Book [Feb 26, 1999]

iCab: Readers Views [Feb 25, 1999]

Review: iCab Preview 1.1 (US) [Feb 24, 1999]

iCab: Why Bloat When You Can Float? [Feb 22, 1999]

Disney Rumor Echoes Blast From The Past [Feb 19, 1999]

Disney Blast and the iMac's Circular Mouse [Feb 18, 1999]

HAL Freezes Over [Feb 1, 1999]

Another Look at Internet Explorer 4.5 [Jan 19, 1999]

Old Wine In New Bottles? [Jan 16, 1999]

The Unofficial iMac Web Ads [Jan 15, 1999]

AroMac Therapy [Jan 12, 1999]

Theft of an iMac: A Victim's Story [Jan 8, 1999]

Multi-Colored iMacs A Reality [Jan 2, 1999]

Yosemites spotted [Dec 25, 1998]

Time's Man Of The Year? [Dec 15, 1998]

Another Reset Button Solution for iMac Owners [Dec 9, 1998]

2,000 in 2 days - and then what? [Nov 1, 1998]

Product Review: iMacFloppy.com [Oct 24, 1998]

Brace Yourself! [Oct 16, 1998]

Singapore's iMac Pre-Launch Bash [Oct 15, 1998]

iMac to launch with Mac OS 8.5 in Singapore [Oct 15, 1998]

Steve Jobs October 14 Event [Oct 14, 1998]

Dances With Wolves in Sheep's Clothing [Oct 4, 1998]

iMac: Thinking Different in Asia [Sep 22, 1998]

An Open Letter to Steve Jobs [Sep 17, 1998]

Mac-bashing: An American sport? [Sep 10, 1998]

Steve Jobs Seybold Keynote '98 [Sep 1, 1998]

One day more! [Aug 28, 1998]

iMac to be released in Singapore in October [Aug 22, 1998]

Reality, not rumors! [Aug 8, 1998]

iMac says G'day Australia: 31 days and counting! [Aug 5, 1998]

Famous Myths Revisited [Aug 3, 1998]

The Countdown Begins! [Aug 1, 1998]

If not now, when? [July 26, 1998]

Four Great Programs? [July 26, 1998]

MacWorld Expo Singapore - Day 2 Report [Jul 25, 1998]

MacWorld Expo Singapore - Day 1 Report [Jul 24, 1998]

Enter The iMacGotcha [Jul 16, 1998]

iMac's for the rest of us, not just US [Jul 1, 1998]

---