Apple

It's 10 days before the July 19 Macworld trade show in New York, where Apple Computer Inc. Chief Executive Steven P. Jobs will once again try to wow the masses with his P.T. Barnum-style product introductions. I'm the reporter he has anointed to get an exclusive sneak peek at this year's lineup of new computers. Clad in shorts and a designer T-shirt, he greets me like an old pal, warmly shaking my hand and ushering me into Apple's boardroom. Scattered around are a dozen or so objects, each hidden coyly beneath a black shroud.

High-tech's premier showman doesn't disappoint. First comes the small stuff: a see-through plastic keyboard and a sleek mouse. Then, off fly the covers from new versions of Apple's popular iMac computer--now in four rich new colors, including ruby and indigo. Then comes the climax: an 8-inch, cube-shaped Mac that packs Apple's most powerful technology into a clear plastic case about the size of a toaster. Laid out on a table with cute, baseball-shaped speakers and a flat-panel display, the cube's design is a showstopper. "Isn't that beautiful?" he gushes like a dad over his newborn. "It's the most beautiful thing we've ever done." I overcome my journalist's restraint and blurt, "Wow, it's great." But that doesn't satisfy Jobs. A day later, he wants to meet again. He's not convinced that I understand just how insanely great these products really are.