November 4th, 1999

[1:30 PM] It's An iMac! It's A Computer! No, It's, It's... A Clock? A very cool clock seems to have surfaced with a familiar design. Two Observers wrote to tell us that this clock is selling in at least one retailer, Staples, and has surfaced on eBay. The design is an *exact* reproduction of the iMac and is manufactured by Timex. According to Observer John Patsfield: I was in Staples, shopping for cool paper, and I turned the corner to see alarm clocks shaped like the ever lovable iMac. They came in 4 out of the 5 flavors, tangerine being left out in the cold. Odd, huh? Nowhere in the packaging does it mention any permission given by Apple, so I thought it was odd. John Patsfield An Observer named "Jack" sent us the URL of an auction on eBay. That, in turn, led us to the other flavors on auction from the same person. Unfortunately, we couldn't find any information on this product from Timex, so if you want to see it (which you do), you have to see the images on the auction. Those images being owned by the auctioneer, we can not re-post them here. Timex would not return our phone calls for more information. Apple too, was unavailable for comment. See our follow-up story that includes several images of the clock. The Mac Observer Spin: The interesting thing will be whether this clock was licensed from Apple. The design is not similar to the iMac's, it's an exact copy. It would be clever of Apple to leverage the iMac's distinctly look to make money from merchandising (and wouldn't that be a first! Merchandising a computer!), but it isn't their modis operandi. If that is the case, then Timex has lifted the design, but that too seems unlikely. Hopefully, one or both of those companies will tell us more shortly. In any event, go check out the images on eBay. If you like the iMac, you will likely want one of these clocks. Timex - Apple