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No, it’s not a Mac, alas, and it’s not really a metaphor, either. If you will pardon a digression from Applecentrism for a moment, I’m an automobile fancier and a Formula 1 motor racing aficionado from way back. I began avidly following F1 Grand Prix racing way back in 1961, (the year Phil Hill became America’s first World Driving Champion driving for Ferrari) mostly on the pages of Road & Track magazine, where the inimitable prose of R&T’s European based correspondent, the late Henry N. Manney III, made Formula 1 come alive for me as a pre-teenage car nut.

Back in those days, the world’s premier series of open-wheel racing allowed no crass commercialism. It was a gentleman’s sport, and the cars raced wearing the color assigned to their nation of origin by the FIA, the international governing body of motor sport. British Coopers, Lotus, and BRMs were of course British Racing Green, German Porsches were silver, and of course the Italian Ferraris were blood-red, and so on.

Much has changed in F1 over the intervening 42 years. Formula One is now a business, presided over by the autocratic Bernie Ecclestone. Television coverage has expanded F1’s reach and fan base exponentially, with races now broadcast in some 150 countries. The Grand Prix circuit is now very much a commercial enterprise, with top drivers commanding contracts worth tens of millions of dollars per season, and the cars are now emblazoned with advertising, and in most cases race bearing the colors of their biggest sponsor rather than their nation.

Except for Ferrari. There has been some compromise of course. Even Ferraris carry commercial sponsorship decals and logos. But one tradition has survived -- Ferraris are still blood-red. And they’re still winning World Championships. Last weekend Michael Schumacher, who may arguably be the greatest Formula One driver ever, won an unprecedented sixth World Championship title, his fourth in a row for Ferrari (plus two for Benetton in 1994-’95), with a modest eighth place finish in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, edging Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen in a MacLaren by two points for the season. Schumacher’s points dominance was such that he only needed one more to clinch the title, so he didn’t push in the last race of the season. His teammate, Rubens Barichello, got the win in the other Ferrari.

There is a computer angle to this reverie. Taiwan-based Wintel PC-maker Acer’s IT products were selected by Scuderia Ferrari to assist its technicians in telemetric analysis and simulations for the 2003 Formula 1 World Championship. Acer products used by the Ferrari team include notebooks, desktop PCs, LCD monitors, handheld devices and accessories.

And on Monday, in celebration of Ferrari’s and Michael Schumacher’s respective Constructor’s and Driving World Championships, Acer, announced an exclusive Ferrari 3000 notebook computer which it says “perfectly combines the essence of two persistently avant-garde companies with its elegant design and technical features.  Acer and Scuderia  Ferrari are both dedicated to delivering the most innovate technologies in their respective fields.”

Well, notwithstanding the unpleasant reality of Windows and PC architecture inside, I can’t argue with the elegance part. This is to my eyes the most aesthetically attractive laptop I’ve ever seen. ‘Course, as I said, I’m a Ferrari fan from way back. The screaming red and silver livery with the yellow prancing horse logo just about makes me drool.

Introducing the Ferrari 3000 notebook, Gianfranco Lanci, President of Acer Inc.’s International Operations Business Group, and Acer EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) declared, “Innovation and technology have always played a primary role in the world of Formula One racing and IT, that is why Acer has designed a notebook that expresses these characteristics.  Innovation and technological advances are what drive Acer to reach its growth targets.”

 ”Being appointed as an official supplier to Ferrari represents their recognition of Acer’s quality, and cutting-edge technology.”  Added T.Y. Lay, President of International Operations Business Group, Acer Inc.  “We are most honored to play a role in this partnership between a world-class IT company and the world championship racing team of Formula One.”

 ”Technology is essential in helping us to reach our targets,” stated Jean Todt, General Director of Ferrari’s Sports Management Division.  ”We really appreciate that one of our official suppliers places a strong emphasis on the research and development of technologically advanced solutions.  We firmly believe that innovation leads to a constant evolution.”

An elegant, slender and light chassis in Ferrari red and silver colors, the Ferrari 3000 features a 15-inch TFT screen with an ATi RADEON MOBILITY 9200 graphics accelerator and 128MB of video RAM, 512MB DDR system RAM and a 60GB hard drive, as well as a DVD dual optical solution, powered by an AMD processor.

The Ferrari 3000 also features wireless connectivity (standard IEEE 802.11g) and PAN with built-in Bluetooth, LAN connections with 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet and phone line support with 56Kbps V.92 modem or fax, a DVD player/burner, quick USB ports, S-Video output, FireWire IEEE 1394 interface and 4-in-1 memory card reader.

The estimated price of the Ferrari 3000 is US$1999, and it will be available through Acer’s channel retail stores in selected regions beginning November 2003.  This limited edition of notebooks will be a rare opportunity for Ferrari fans to add an exclusive item to their Ferrari merchandise collection.  Acer will be accepting advanced orders.

Sigh... *Almost* enough to make my Mac loyalty waver. ;-) I wish Steve Jobs was interested in motor racing....

For more information on the Ferrari 3000 notebook, visit:
http://global.acer.com/

Charles W. Moore

Cool Mac Gear