Well, with just twenty-four hours to go, there's still absolutely zero mention of any Apple press event either at the company's web site or in the online calendar of the Flint Center where this whole brouhaha is allegedly taking place, but we here at AtAT have decided to ignore those trifling facts studiously and with extreme prejudice-- which means we're just a day away from our latest dose of Stevular bliss. (Woo-hoo!! Ain't denial grand?) And so, as the clock ticks away the seconds until Uncle Steve takes the stage and summons forth new iBooks as if from nowhere (yes, we're still taking that completely for granted at this point; reckless shmeckless, we're feeling saucy today), the frequency of rumorlicious tidbits working their way through the Silicon Curtain continues to increase.

As faithful viewer David Poller notes, AppleInsider has finally kicked in its two cents on the imminent consumer portable code-named "Marble": apparently we can expect an iBook "about as thin as the titanium G4 PowerBook" that "may feature the same color and make of titanium shell" as well. So much for the outside. Under the hood, there's a 500 MHz G3 on a 100 MHz bus, an 8 MB ATI RageM3 graphics chipset, a 10 GB hard drive, and either 64 MB or 128 MB of RAM, depending on configuration. Rounding out the feature set are 2 USB ports, a single FireWire port, the ubiquitous Ethernet and modem jacks, and either a CD-RW drive or a CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive-- again, depending on which config you toss in the cart. Oh, and chalk up one more source expecting a 12.1-inch screen, but running at 1024x768 resolution.

Now, given AppleInsider's track record of late (the "combo drive iMac" prediction, the "G4 iMac" story, the recent "iPhoto Studio" mess, etc.), we wouldn't be surprised if you're reluctant to embrace AI's iBook specs as gospel. But it's worth mentioning that-- and take this entirely as you see fit-- the specs recently posted to Mac OS Rumors are mostly in agreement. MOSR adds a few more interesting details, such as news that Marble will most likely sport an all-aluminum enclosure available in several anodized colors, stereo speakers, and possibly even an honest-to-goodness VGA port supporting spanning (not just mirroring) on a second monitor.

Sadly, neither site addresses the most shocking allegation recently published over at Go2Mac: that Marble's price will start at a crowd-pleasing $999. And if sites who have predicted such way-out Criswell-style wackiness as an Apple-PowerPC buyout and what could only be a mouse for dogs won't touch that pipe-dream price point with a ten foot pole, we're mentally filing it squarely in the "wishful thinking" category and leaving ourselves open for a really pleasant surprise-- not to mention rioting in the streets if word gets out that consumers can take home an iBook for under a grand.

Great news! If you're in the market for a stylish new PowerBook G4 and you're also looking to accessorize with a snazzy handheld, you've probably had your eye on the remarkably PowerBook-looking Handspring Visor Edge as your matching PDA of choice. Well, now you can buy them together and save some money on the deal; there are, however, a couple of catches. First of all, the promotion ends today, so you'll need to act fast. Secondly, and perhaps even more importantly, you'll, uh, have to live in the Czech Republic. That's not a problem, is it?

'Strue-- as noted over at MacNN, Apple's Czech web site currently lists a promotional bundle consisting of a PowerBook G4 and a silver Visor Edge, though no such deal exists for U.S. denizens. If you can relocate by tonight, though, and get your order in fast, you can save yourself hundreds of crowns on the pair. (We suspect that the bundle price would still wind up being more expensive than full price for both products here in the States, but surely that's beside the point.)

But wait; it's not just the Czech Republic pairing up the PowerBook and the Edge. Apple Hungary's running a similar deal, although that promo reportedly invites people to buy a PowerBook G4 and get a Visor Edge for half off. And Apple Croatia's pushing some kind of PowerBook-Edge Marvel Team-Up as well. So apparently the PowerBook-Edge bundle concept is strictly an Eastern European thing, which is surprising, given the seemingly obvious nature of the pairing.

We suppose it's possible that Apple's Eastern European branches are just blazing the trail, and Cupertino will soon follow suit-- but if we're going to use the spate of overseas PowerBook/Edge bundles as rumor fodder, we'd hate to settle for something so tame. For those of you still shopping for a wild and hopelessly unlikely rumor to cheer for at tomorrow's alleged Apple Press Event, how about an Apple purchase of Handspring? After all, we all know that Steve tried to buy Handspring in the past and was rebuffed, but that was back in '99 before Handspring IPO'd. And now that HAND is publicly traded and hovering at 15% of its past high, the company's market capitalization is "only" $1.86 billion. And Apple's got what, $4 billion in the bank? Figure out a way to work the whole Eastern Europe angle in there and you've got a rumor fit for a king. Enjoy!

(Note: The AtAT staff would like to apologize in advance for the imminent cheap shot at Phil Schiller, whom we honestly like and respect, but who nonetheless will remain the necessary casualty of a lame joke. We now return you to your regularly-scheduled program.)

Okay, so All Great Software Wears this Face-- but that was almost five years ago, and "this face" was looking a wee bit peaked. Luckily, Apple was willing to spring for a little cosmetic surgery, and the new face of Mac software is bright, shiny, and ready to do battle with the unending hordes of Windows titles for retail shelf space. Yes, Apple has revamped the Mac Logo Program, and the Picasso-style Mac face has been refreshed to better resemble its latest Aqua incarnation resting serenely at the left edge of Mac OS X's Dock. Expect to see the buffed-up visage gracing more and more software boxes in the months to come.

However, this facelift was not without a price; AtAT's shadowy yet impeccable sources tell us that a fair number of Apple employees were just a little miffed that Uncle Steve picked up the tab on ol' Picasso-Head's facial reconstruction. Apparently Apple's standard health care benefits do not include coverage for elective cosmetic surgery, and Picasso-Head's preferential treatment has certain folks in the trenches bitterly reflecting that if they ever decided to get their schnozzes taken down a few points or clefts put in their chins, they'd have to pay out of pocket. While the Apple Health & Fitness Program does reimburse employees for health club membership, it does not provide financially for the far more efficient routes to physical attractiveness of liposuction and pectoral implants. Where's the love?

At least a few less-than-physically-perfect malcontents at One Infinite Loop are steamed enough to be talking walkout. While we at AtAT hardly expect this issue to incite a full-scale strike, we're more than a little concerned about rumors that one such firebrand raising a stink about this whole issue is none other than Phil "Are You Going To Finish That Donut?" Schiller, indicating that management is peeved as well. Reports of rogue anonymous email circulating amidst the staff are also somewhat troubling; one such missive insists at length that "Apple cares more about how its products look than how its own employees do," while another more succinct example simply states "STEVE-- UPDATE MY INTERFACE." (A third reads "ALL YOUR FACE ARE BELONG TO US," but this is largely considered unrelated.)

With luck, Apple will resolve this issue before it becomes a public embarrassment (or worse, a brain drain). Even a good faith measure like free Bioré nose strips in the employee restrooms might quell the ill will. But whatever the outcome, at least that Picasso logo looks fabulous.