Not that it's any particular surprise, but it looks like the iMac may have been the top-selling retail computer for the entire month of August. PC Data, a market research firm that tracks such things, hasn't totaled up the final numbers yet, but so far, the iMac appears to have run away with the prize. Computer Retail Week has the early details.

What's especially notable about the way that the iMac has all but clinched the top spot is the fact that it was introduced halfway through the month, so it was only selling for fifteen days instead of thirty like its competition. So in half the time, it still sold more computers than any other model offered at retail. Neat trick for a company who is just about to go out of business.

The really big win, though, would be if the iMac winds up breaking the all-time record for retail sales. Right now, the early numbers put it in contention with the current record-holder, Compaq, whose Presario 4505 set the high water mark last Christmas. We're keeping our fingers crossed, since producing the best-selling computer of all time would doubtless give Apple a huge credibility boost in the minds of the still-skeptical. And if that in fact happens before the Christmas buying rush, Apple could capitalize on the early popularity of its new consumer product and ride this iMac wave well into next year.

Despite the fact that Claris is dead (at least from a non-FileMaker perspective), Claris Em@iler lives on-- or so Apple would have us believe. Recently, the airwaves have been abuzz with news of the application's untimely demise, confirmed by the remarks of an Apple executive who stated that Apple had "officially" killed off the product. But the real official party line comes from spokesman Russell Brady, who denies that Em@iler's been "Steved." MacWEEK has the whole story.

Of course, this could just be Apple's typical spin control that surfaces whenever rumors start circulating. Brady wouldn't clarify just what Apple's plans are for the versatile email application; he would only state that the remarks made by the Apple exec who said that Em@iler was dead "did not reflect the company's official position." What that really means is anyone's guess-- for instance, there were rumors circulating a couple of months ago that Apple was working to integrate Em@iler's functionality into future versions of the Mac OS as a core service available from within any application. Now that would be cool.

As fervent Em@iler enthusiasts ourselves, we at AtAT hope that Apple's being sincere about its denial. Otherwise, once Em@iler stops working with the current version of the Mac OS, the only way we'll be able to retrieve email from our legacy AOL accounts is by (shudder) using AOL. And we're not the only ones who would mourn the passing of one of the world's best email programs; MacSoldiers is sponsoring a petition for those of you who are interested in seeing Em@iler continue, either as an official Apple product or branded by an outside vendor. Fight the power.

Three things in this life are inevitable: death, taxes, and Microsoft trying to get its antitrust case dismissed. As the trial date draws ever nearer, Microsoft has stepped up its attempts to convince Judge Jackson to throw the case out of court. A Wired article follows the neverending story.

Microsoft's latest move is to try to use Netscape's own words against the government. Microsoft managed to dig up a letter that Netscape sent to Assistant Attorney General Joel Klein which stated that Netscape was "unable" to identify files that could be deleted from Windows 98 that would remove Internet Explorer without messing with the operating system. It was their "understanding" that Windows 98 "as presently configured" tied the browser so tightly to the core OS as to make their separation nearly impossible. Of course, given that the letter was written early last March before Windows 98 actually shipped, it's possible that Netscape was making presumptions based on the widespread descriptions of what Windows 98 would end up being. We'll see what the judge thinks.

Judge Jackson will hear oral arguments on this latest motion for dismissal this Friday. With any luck at all, Microsoft's attempts to get "Redmond Justice" cancelled before its scheduled season premiere in two weeks will fall on deaf ears. We need our courtroom drama!