SAN FRANCISCO (CAP) - Saving his best announcement for his last, Apple CEO Steve Jobs waited until the very end of the Macworld Expo to show off the release of the new iTurtleneck. The news capped a year of speculation among Mac lovers who left last year's Expo disappointed.
"It's a state-of-the-art garment," Jobs told the crowd of excited techno-geeks, none of whom could find a date to bring. "The iTurtleneck includes a wide range of exciting new features and capabilities, yet resembles an ordinary turtleneck. In fact, I'm wearing one now."
The dramatic introduction of the iTurtleneck capped off an Expo known for generating industry excitement. Seth Abrams, editor of Core Processor magazine was impressed. "This was quite an event. I strongly believe that the iTurtleneck delivers on the earlier promise of the iPod, the iPhone, and the iTalian restaurant, although I still don't have a clue what it actually does."
Other industry experts agreed. "The iTurtleneck is the next big thing from Apple," said Kelly Ingram of CNET. "I can't wait to test one. We do know it's a wash-and-wear garment, and comes in a variety of trendy colors.
"We've also learned that Apple has signed a service contract that permits the use of only Tide detergent when washing the iTurtleneck," added Ingram.
"It's the world's first interactive turtleneck," explained one Apple insider. "Simply by wearing the iTurtleneck - and, of course, carrying your iPhone and iPod in the detachable pouch - you can listen to music, check your email, send text messages, talk to your friends, and surf.
"We call this combination of products the iSuite."
The $200 iTurtleneck will start shipping next week to Abercrombie and Fitch, which has exclusive sales rights for the foreseeable future. The detachable iSuite pouch is available for an additional $49.99.
The enhanced iTurtleneck, with color-fast dye and shrink resistance, will be available later this year at half the price.
- Robert Friedman
Contributing Writer