New & Noteworthy: Think flat; WWDC news

Think flat A Cnet article claims that Apple will soon be selling only flat panel displays, completely abandoning tube monitors. As part of this move, the article contends that the long-rumored midrange flat panel display (e.g., larger than the 15" but smaller than the Cinema Display) should be out soon. The big question is can Apple price these displays cheap enough so that this shift is not seen as a price increase. For example: "Apple's 17-inch CRT, which offers viewable area of 16 inches, sells for $499. The 15-inch flat panel, known as the Apple Studio Display, costs $799." But prices are dropping. One analyst was quoted as saying: "We will definitely see $350 prices by summer and below $800 for 17-inch flat panels."

Assuming the article is correct, this would leave the iMac as the only Mac you could buy with a tube monitor. Could this mean that the next generation iMac will also move to a flat panel display? Rumors have suggested this is to be the case. All should be revealed by Macworld Expo in July.

Tevanian to follow Jobs at WWDC WWDC 2001 opens with a fireside chat with Apple CEO Steve Jobs, immediately followed by a session with Avie Tevanian, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering.