This Story Posted:
July 19th, 1999
[6:45 AM]
New iMac Inspired PC Released, This One Is Less Of A Rip-Off
 Our good friends at The Mac Treasure Tracing Club in Japan let us know about a new PC being released by a company called SOTEC, known as a bargain-PC company in Japan. Like Future Power's blatant rip-off of the iMac, the new PC, called the e-one, was inspired by the iMac, but unlike Future Power's ePower, the e-one does not go so far as to plagiarize Apple's design concepts. Unless, of course, you are also including Apple's Education All-in-One systems, for the e-one does look somewhat like a cross between the All-in-One and an iMac.
In any event, this marks the second time a PC manufacturer has announced a product that tips its hat to the iMac. The company has developed an impressive web site with a slick Flash presentation (don't pay too close attention to the english grammar) that does their product justice. Update: We got this letter from Eric Pollitt who pointed out that SOTEC has also aimed their price point squarely at the iMac. According to Mr. Pollitt:
Thanks for the note Eric! The Mac Observer: To us, this is a far more acceptable iMac-like concept than the ePower because it has its own style. There's no doubt as to what sparked that style, and that alone helps reaffirm Apple's leadership position, but it still takes it own, though less elegant, direction. We should start seeing more attempts like this one during the next 6 months, especially as the holiday season approaches. It is interesting that none of the large US based PC companies have yet to jump onboard. It could be that they are waiting to see how the smaller firms like Future Power, and Asian firms like SOTEC make out. There's always time later to jump on the bandwagon. |