According to sources close to the P1 project, the remaining issues with getting a shipping product are related to making sure the machine runs at some acceptable level for the public announcement. However, this is still a larger task than you might imagine.
During an informal vote with the department heads around the table at this weekend’s P1 meeting, more than one attendee voted to scrap the project entirely. According to PowerPage sources, the Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) are the main hold up, i.e. the operational aspects of the software, hardware interface.
It is virtually impossible for Apple to scrap the P1 project entirely, the company simply needs this product to compete in the global marketplace. The fact that some factions within the company even considered scrapping it is a testament to the problems that have surfaced. Apple has to show P1 at Macworld Expo New York 1999, the real questions become: 1) will it simply be a work in progress (i.e. “PowerBook under glass”), and 2) will it ship in time to capitalize on the August Back-To-School window. Stay tuned for more on this story as it develops.
