Whether most of you realize it or not, an Internet editor like myself has no more opportunity to play with new toys than anybody else. I didn't go to Macworld and I don't live near an Apple store, but today I saw the complete Apple lineup on display at Simutek in Tucson, Arizona, and here are some brief impressions:

1. iBook -- a visual treat, for absolutely certain. Utterly cute, a jewel, totally gorgeous, etc. etc. The one I played with was running OS X and seemed to work fine, but it was a bit slow. I can't really make an accurate comparison, because this was my first time ever to touch a machine using OS X and I was quite lost. I will say that all that swoopy-doopy stuff in the dock seemed distracting and silly, though. Maybe new users will think it's cool, I don't know. The other thing I noticed was that the older iBook seemed more pleasant to use for typing with the laptops resting on a counter: the curved surface of my original tangerine iBook seems initially more organically mated to the palms of my hands, for example. No doubt with use I would learn to hold my hands differently and love the new iBook too. Conclusion: I really like the new model, but I still love my original iBook. Hmmm.

2. QuickSilver PowerMacs -- STUNNING! An earlier model G4 machine was standing nearby on a used equipment display, so I could make side-by-side comparisons. Conclusion: anyone who complained about the latest cases being too much like the old ones is a bleeding moron. There is no doubt which one you would prefer to take home with you. None! Gimme a break...

3. TiBook -- amazingly, a big ho-hum for me. First response: "This is it?" Yes, I'm weird. Stylewise, I much prefer the shiny plastic of the iBook -- and for that matter, rectangular slabs just don't spin this editor's wheels. The big screen would be good for my work, though. Conclusion: this baby was already off my wish list because of impaired AirPort performance, but graphics pros who want a portable and need the screen real estate will love it.

Otherwise, no surprises. The store did have quite a few used items, such as a hardly-touched 500MHz Cube for $950 which was purchased while I was in the store. And there was a great deal on a 21" CRT monitor (brand unknown): $300!