Okay, we've tried really hard to stay open-minded about this whole Imatec lawsuit, but it just gets harder and harder to take that company seriously. Imatec, as you almost certainly already know, is suing Apple for over a billion dollars, claiming that our favorite computer company willfully infringed upon three Imatec patents when they came up with their ColorSync color management technology. While Apple has kept characteristically quiet about the lawsuit ("We don't comment on pending litigation, but we feel that the case has no merit"), Imatec seems to be treating the whole thing as nothing but a public relations stunt. Take, for example, their practice of issuing press releases every time anything happens in the lawsuit-- or even when nothing happens, for that matter-- just to keep the case visible in the press. The most recent press release is even more an exercise in grabbing eyeballs, as Imatec CEO Hanoch Shalit announces that he's been interviewed by stock-line.com-- and, of course, it mentions the lawsuit.

The ten-minute phone-in RealAudio interview started off with Dr. Shalit reading the numbers and names of his three patents, and it didn't take him long to mention the Apple suit. Isn't it interesting that Dr. Shalit announced in an interview targeted at investors that his $3 million "developmental stage" company stood to gain as much as $3.3 billion in they win the Apple suit? We're sure that must look good to the investors. In fact, we seriously doubt that the interview would ever have happened at all if Imatec didn't have the Apple lawsuit as a carrot on a stick for the media. We try really hard to see Imatec's Shalit as potentially being the little guy who got stepped on by Big Bad Apple, but his constant begging for media coverage frankly smacks of blackmail tactics and an attempt to raise interest in his company's stock. Isn't it ironic that the link to Imatec's stock quote in the press release yields a "symbol not found" error?

Remember, based on what we've heard, this seems to be a company that has been busted before for selling stock without registering with the state of New York. This seems to be a $3 million company that has never had any income. This seems to be a $3 million company that is suing one of the most media-visible computer companies in existence for $1.1 billion, with the possibility of treble damages. This seems to be a company that has been associated with an investment bank that got shut down for fraud. And, as far as we can tell, this seems to be a company that seems to consist of little more than one guy-- this Shalit character, who as "Chairman/President/CEO/Secretary" (yes, he's really listed that way in the company profile, which at least lists a Dian Griesel as the company contact person) keeps issuing his company's press releases. How can we possibly see this lawsuit as anything but a long-shot attempt to win a few billion dollars, a slightly-more-likely chance to obtain a cash settlement from Apple just to go away, and at the very least a way to attract media attention in the hopes of inflating Imatec's stock price?

Wanna know what the future holds for Apple? You could always ask your Magic 8-Ball, but personally, we've found that method to be sadly unreliable. The guy who ran the Psychic Friends Network went bankrupt a year ago-- so apparently he's not all that psychic after all. The only place left to turn is the web, and its myriad Mac rumors sites. So we're glad that Mac OS Rumors pulled out their crystal ball and posted their predictions for 1999, since it's a long list of cool stuff. There aren't too many surprises there, and no predictions that are seriously off-the-wall, but at least a few entries are notable.

One thing that caught our eye right away was that QuickTime 4.0's release is listed in the "May 10 - August 3rd" timeframe. That's significantly later than any of us here were expecting; we wonder what happened? In addition, the announcement of the consumer portable is also listed as not happening until May, which, while disappointing, at least agrees with the prediction issued by Apple Insider. On the plus side, Rumors also expects Apple and Palm to announce a jointly-released handheld computer that merges a PalmPilot with some Newton technology to take over the "Professional" slot in the Palm line. Add to that predictions of Macs as fast as 700 MHz or higher, a couple of happy Mac OS upgrades, the first couple of beta releases of Mac OS X, and several other odds and ends and you've got a recipe for an exciting year for Apple.

Incidentally, scanning the rumors sites isn't the only way to develop a sense of what Apple's going to be up to this year. Way back in January of last year, we told you about a MacCentral-reported astrological forecast for Apple which predicted that 1998 would be a great year for them. Pretty spooky, huh? The sheer accuracy is dumbfounding. So start learning about those stars, because they hold all the answers.

It's always a tricky thing when a TV show changes its focus. For instance, to take an example near and dear to our hearts, The X-Files has morphed a little this season, following their relocation from Vancouver to Hollywood and the blockbuster movie released last summer; several fans now refer to the show as "X-Files Lite," "The X-Files Comedy Hour," "Will Scully and Mulder Ever Kiss," etc. The show now appears to be written more for new viewers than for the die-hards (yes, even last Sunday's "Full Disclosure" episode felt that way), and the results are mixed. A similar paradigm shift is also taking place on "Redmond Justice," as the show transforms from a tough, gritty courtroom drama into a farcical comedy. You can thank Microsoft's legal team for that; blunder after blunder have taken most of the suspense out of the trial, since even many of Microsoft's heartiest supporters now feel that the Redmond Giant doesn't stand a chance of winning. Faithful viewer Steve Pissocra pointed out a Seattle Times article that discusses this phenomenon further.

Apparently several of the "economic and legal scholars" that Microsoft themselves name as "authorities" on the case now feel that while the case should never have been brought against Microsoft in the first place, the government is very likely to win thanks to Microsoft's growing list of courtroom screwups-- the most glaring being that recent snafu with the faked videotape. Here are some choice quotes from various Microsoft supporters: "they have essentially lost this case already," "how could this company... be so inept when it comes to putting on a few witnesses in court?", "there is no excuse for the kind of screwups that occurred," and "Microsoft is shooting itself in the foot." Wow, with friends like that, who needs enemies?

The really interesting thing is that some of these guys not only think that the current case is a lost cause, but also that Microsoft's "chances for success on appeal are dwindling." So does that mean that the sequel to "Redmond Justice" ("The Appeal") will also exhibit comedic tendencies? Will we see a repeat of what the Seattle Times refers to as Microsoft's "deeply flawed legal strategy"? We're not sure just how much comedy we can handle, but what the heck-- bring it on.