As the Apple Turns: Scene 4255: Soon Comes The Spending (10/8/03)

Soon Comes The Spending (10/8/03)

Here at last, here at last, thank Steve almighty, it's here at last-- not Panther itself, mind you, but official word on when it'll finally arrive. After faithful viewer Monkey Boy hepped us to the Apple Store's not-so-mysterious "We'll Be Back Soon" status earlier this morning, it was faithful viewer jeffNOTjon who noted the formal press release with the good news: yes, the rumors were correct, and the next of the Mac OS X felines will indeed be padding onto store shelves and into our hearts on Friday, October 24th at 8PM.

Great news, right? There's just one drawback: the advent of Panther means that we've finally got to shell out the ducats to pay for it, and as Apple's countdown makes oh-so-clear, if you want to be Leading Edge Mac Guy come the 24th, you've only got 16 days left in which to scrape together the cash necessary to score your copy. Apple's price, as expected, is $129, and the Apple Store is taking preorders right this second. Odds are you'll be able to shave a few bucks off that price if you poke around elsewhere, however; for example, as of production time it's not yet showing up at Amazon, but they've got Jaguar for nine clams less than Apple's price and with free shipping, so we'd expect similar savings on Panther.

Of course, you needn't bother searching for the best price if you're affiliated with an educational institution-- Panther's just $69 for students, faculty, and staff. And don't forget: if you need to upgrade more than one Mac in your home, Apple's got a $199 "Family Pack" that's good for up to five Macs, provided that they're all "located in the same household and used by persons occupying the same household." And for the best price of all, all you need to do is, um, already own a Power Mac G5; Apple has graciously decided to dish free (well, almost free; don't forget the $19.95 shipping and handling fee) copies to everyone with a G5, regardless of purchase date, via the Mac OS X Up-To-Date program. (You can also score the $19.95 price if you buy any Mac starting today that doesn't have 10.3 pre-loaded, so don't let Panther's imminent release stop you from buying that tricked-out 17-inch PowerBook you've been eyeing. Fatcat.)

The bottom line, though, is that no matter what, you're going to need at least twenty bucks-- and probably more like six times that amount-- to get Pantherized, so start scrounging. We know times are tough, but we Mac users are resourceful; it comes from having gone shopping for compatible software back in the days when CompUSA's Mac section consisted of two copies of After Dark and a RAM Doubler. We're sure you'll find a way. Personally, we're planning on wrangling a quick settlement from a spurious slip-and-fall lawsuit. "Ooooh, my lumbar!"

SceneLink (4255)

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The above scene was taken from the 10/8/03 episode:

October 8, 2003: Apple finally admits it: Panther will spring in just over two weeks' time, so start saving now. Meanwhile, Panther's packaging may reveal Apple's obsession with certain radical civil rights figures of the '60s, and conflicting rumors have the townfolk all confoozled as to what to expect when new displays surface next month...

Other scenes from that episode:

4256: BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY (10/8/03) Speaking of lawsuits, does anyone know if Spike Lee has sued Apple over Panther's box design yet? 'Cause if the guy's going to get all litigious over a network calling itself "Spike TV," we'd be stunned if he didn't try to nail Apple for capitalizing on the success of his 1992 biopic Malcolm X, too...
4257: The Heavens Weep Blood (10/8/03) Meanwhile, if you're wondering how you're going to kill time until Panther becomes available on the 24th, why not follow that epic battle between titans known as the (dun dun dun dunnnnnnn!) Clash of the Rumors Sites? Yes, Clash of the Rumors Sites, everyone's favorite distraction; marvel as 100-foot goliaths cross Big Scary Swords and trail vast swaths of terror across the night sky! Tremble in awe at the prospect of godlike toothy entities tearing at each other's colossal throats as the fate of worlds upon worlds hangs in the balance! Reel with cosmic horror as one rumors site says one thing, and another says something vaguely contradictory!...

Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast...


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