Surprise, surprise-- there were virtually no surprises at Apple's annual shareholder meeting. There was certainly nothing as big as Jobs announcing that he was signing on as Apple's permanent CEO or anything; in fact, when asked about the possibility, he made it clear that he wasn't going to discuss the matter; according to a MacWEEK article, when a shareholder pressed him on the subject, Jobs replied, "If you would like me to do something else, just tell me." Of course, that thinly-veiled threat "horrified" the audience, who shouted, "No, no, no!" So apparently we can expect the status quo for a good long while. Which is, of course, just fine with us-- things feel more dramatic that way.

Instead of a permanent CEO, what the shareholders got was a smattering of hints about the future of Apple's product line and what Steve's got up his sleeve. The most telling statements had to do with portable computing, for which Apple now figures there are three markets, instead of just "consumer" and "professional." It breaks down like this: some people have money to burn, and they want a desktop machine shrunk down so they can lug it all over the world. That's presumably where high-end PowerBooks (like the current G3 Series and the upcoming Lombard) come in, with super-fast speeds, DVD video capability, fourteen-inch screens, and the like. Then there's the average computer-using consumer, who has different needs-- and a smaller budget. Enter P1, which Apple still hasn't publicly described. The third market, as Apple sees it, consists of "busy executives who just want to check e-mail while they're traveling." To target those buyers, Apple might consider creating a super-light, super-thin laptop that just acts as a communications station for execs on the go.

But the more astute viewers out there will notice something big missing from those three markets-- or, rather, something little. That's right, we're talking about handhelds. Steve was asked whether Apple had any plans to produce a "Newton-like" handheld PDA-type device, to which he responded that there were not. (That's directly condradictory to Apple's own promise to release a Mac OS-based handheld in 1999 back when they axed the Newton, by the way.) According to Steve, the demand for handhelds isn't big enough to warrant the development resources. "We've elected, for now, not to get into that business," he says. Okay-- so what about us Newton users who have been waiting patiently (well, okay, maybe not so patiently) for the promised Apple PDA? Here's the deal; Jobs all but confirmed the rumors that Apple will be sticking their logo on some version of a Palm handheld; furthermore, he mentioned that, yes, Apple has licensed some technology to Palm. Which means the Palm may get more Newton-like, at which point we at AtAT might finally be able to consider buying one. Real handwriting recognition, anyone?

Love them or hate them, Apple Computer has never been like other computer companies. The corporate culture at One Infinite Loop has always been pretty seriously removed from the suit-and-tie mentality of, say, IBM; jeans and t-shirts and bare feet are more the reigning style. The co-founder and interim CEO chooses a cruelty-free diet and typically addresses the public while wearing jeans and a black turtleneck. Apple has historically been a great benefactor of the educational system. Their products are the choice of computer-using artists, writers, musicians, and members of the counterculture. Yes, these are all generalizations, but even down to the groovy rainbow-colored logo (which may on the way out, but it still remains in the operating system), Apple evokes a certain feeling that other computer makers do not. Things are changing, sure, but the perception of Apple as a "liberal" company persists.

Which is why it's such a trip to hear two-time Democratic presidential candidate Jesse Jackson lambast Apple for not including minorities on its board of directors. According to a CNN article, Jackson recently issued a statement that he was forgoing another run for the Presidency in order to concentrate on an issue that he believes may more directly affect civil rights issues and the future welfare of minorities: representation of those minority groups in big business. In his statement, he singles out Apple Computer as a company who "uses the images of Jackie Robinson, Cesar Chavez, and Miles Davis" to sell their products, but who "fails to include a single African American or Latino on its board." Claiming that he's "not fooled" by Apple's posturing, he states that Rainbow/PUSH has acquired Apple stock and he "fully intends to be among the attendees at Apple's next shareholders' meeting." Cool-- but he's got a year to wait.

We don't have any grand political statement or moral stance to make, here-- we really don't want to get into that. We just think the juxtaposition of impressions of Apple is noteworthy, and next year we may have a really interesting show if Rev. Jackson shows up in Cupertino and starts raising hell. That's pure ratings gold! Groovy, man...

Switching gears to the Evil Empire, we find the wheels are still turning behind the scenes of "Redmond Justice." While the courtroom drama is officially on hiatus and off the air for another few weeks, negotiations as to the outcome of the season finale continue. When last we discussed this, Microsoft representatives had stated that they were "open" to settlement discussions, but no talks had yet been initiated. Now that's changed; some government representatives have indeed received a settlement offer from Microsoft-- and it shows that our Redmond protagonist is "open" to settlement in roughly the same way that, say, Archie Bunker was "open" to interracial dating.

According to a ZDNet AnchorDesk article, Bill Gates' willingness to settle is predicated on his stated requirement that Microsoft be able to continue to "innovate" Windows and maintain its "integrity" as "a fully designed product." Meaning, presumably, that Internet Explorer (which, as it's plain to see by anyone with eyes, is not a web browser, but "web browsing technology that is inseparable from Windows") stays bundled, and if Microsoft sees fit to add word processing, spreadsheet, database, and presentation capabilities to its operating system as well, any settlement they make should allow them to do that. Don't be surprised if Excel turns into a Windows "integrated spreadsheet technology," at which point Microsoft will swear up and down that it was always planned as such. Hm.

So in other words, Microsoft isn't likely to settle any time soon. While details haven't been released, the proposed settlement they sent the government was described by government reps as "minimalist," "far from adequate," and "nowhere near acceptable." Sounds like an obvious ploy to follow the judge's orders to try to reach a settlement during the hiatus without actually having any intention of doing so. This way, when court resumes, they can at least say, "Hey, we tried." So will we get to follow "Redmond Justice" through to the bitter end? And if it's renewed for next season, get ready for "Redmond Justice: The Appeal." We've got chills just thinking about it.