Apparently that little deal whereby MacUser magazine got absorbed by MacWorld a few months ago touched a nerve. We've been hearing similar rumors for a while that MacAddict is going to merge with Mac Home Journal; in that manner, just as the two big "professional" Mac magazines combined due to lack of available advertising resources, so, too, would the two consumer-level publications be forced to merge due to the state of the market. We hadn't said anything earlier, in part because we hadn't seen a single indication that this rumor was true, no matter how plausible it sounded, and we're pretty sure MacAddict would have told us. It seems that we were right to ignore the reports, since MacAddict's editor has now posted an official denial of the rumor.

You all know that AtAT is an entertainment show, not a news one. As such, we're not above reporting completely unsubstantiated rumors and gossip, no matter how unlikely and/or bizarre. But while wild speculation is all well and good as far as we're concerned, when a rumor is easily confirmed or denied just by asking an involved party, we're usually not all that interested. It's one thing to speculate about whether the iMac will include a 56K modem, a Volkswagen hood ornament, and a free Trappist monk, since Apple "does not comment on unreleased products," or whatever. It's something else entirely to take it as read that two magazines are merging without asking anyone associated with either of them if the reports are true.

That being said, a friend of our landlord's niece told us that MacAddict, operating secretly from a large pool of Apple-provided cash, is quietly bribing the publishers of Wintel-oriented magazines to look the other way while hired thugs coat their pages with a topical mind-altering chemical similar to the stuff used in MacAddict's own publication. (You have noticed MacAddict's distinctive smell and page texture, haven't you?) As the chemical builds up in readers' bodies over the next several months, expect Apple's market share to increase. That's all we can tell you right now. MacAddict neither confirmed nor denied this rumor-- though, we suspect that might change if we actually asked them.

Speaking of unsubstantiated rumors, MacInTouch has some unconfirmed info on the iMac's release date. It seems that Apple isn't willing to wait for Mac OS 8.5 to ship this September before putting the iMac on store shelves, so expect the lumpy blue things to invade CompUSAs and local retailers on August 19th, preloaded with a custom-tweaked Mac OS 8.1. If that date holds up, then Apple will have missed its own 90-day window, but not by much. Those of you who have been counting the days until the iMac's release may want to recalibrate your countdown, since MacInTouch has a fairly good track record as far as unannounced release dates go.

In addition, MacInTouch has its own input on the subject of the iMac's internal modem, which they claim will be a 33.6K software-controlled card, upgradable to the 56K v.90 standard this fall. That fits pretty well with the consensus on the subject. Though Reality found the references to the "iMac 56K Modem" in the alpha version of the Mac OS 8.5 installer, that only confirms that the iMac will have a 56K modem at some point, not necessarily upon its release; indeed, all indications are that the iMac modem upgrade will be available inthe fall, and Mac OS 8.5 is due in September. That's probably not just a wild coincidence. Betcha every iMac will include a free upgrade not only to 56K, but also to Mac OS 8.5 when it ships.

So if you were gung-ho to be the first on your block to own an iMac, don't let your enthusiasm be dampened by its OS version and modem speed. We also expect that Apple will have more to say on the subject during next week's MacWorld Expo, which is supposed to be a virtual iMac lovefest. We'll be broadcasting from the show, so we'll keep you posted.

It's a web-based virtual catfight! Reality and Apple Recon are taking semi-oblique swipes at each other over a subject that most of the world consider dead: the Apple Media Player. You remember all the hubbub surrounding the "top secret project" that Apple was allegedly working on several months ago? The AMP, also referred to as "Columbus," was a revolutionary new product that would change the way people thought about computing. Trouble was, no one seemed to know what the thing actually was; reports ranged from portable eMate-style DVD players to WebTV-like set-top boxes to anti-gravity technology (and that last one came from Steve Jobs himself).

Apple Recon took the stance that the AMP was a set-top box that would play DVD's, enhanced CD's and give the average consumer access to the Internet. They then revealed a photo of the alleged device, and announced that the project had been killed by Steve Jobs. (They've been protesting the decision for months now.) Reality, on the other hand, recently noticed that the word "Columbus" is stamped on the iMac's motherboard, and claims that Columbus has been the iMac all along; the reports of the AMP were part of a deliberate misinformation campaign intended to keep the press off the track of the top-secret iMac. That led to Recon's response, which is that Columbus is the name of the motherboard and not the computer; the iMac's motherboard was also going to be used in the AMP, and the AMP was very real and very Steved. And, most recently, in the response to the response, Reality offers yet more evidence that the whole AMP thing was just a big smokescreen.

If you think we're getting in the middle of this one. you're mistaken; we're perfectly happy to watch the fur fly from the sidelines. (Besides, we doubt either site knows who we are anyway.) But just in case any of you are interested in our opinion on the subject, here's our guess: Columbus is indeed the board and not the box. The iMac was being developed at the same time as Apple was playing around with the idea of creating a set-top box using the same motherboard. The set-top never got beyond the investigation stage; plans were drawn up, a couple of mockups and/or prototypes were built, but the project was shelved due to factors like perceived lack of interest, poor display quality on television sets, and lack of resources. The iMac was the project that had the greater potential to revive the Mac market. We wouldn't be surprised to see an Apple AMP down the road, but it doesn't seem very feasible right now. (Still, that doesn't mean it isn't a great subject for a virtual tussle...)