A surprising number of AtAT viewers contacted us to say that our grouping of Computer City stores with the notoriously Mac-indifferent Best Buy chain was unfair; these viewers report that Computer City actually does a pretty good job displaying and selling Apple computers. To that we can only respond that there must be individual store managers working to support Apple (and good for them). Unfortunately the point is moot, anyway: Computer City is, in fact, the second retailer to fall from the tree in Apple's take-no-prisoners "re-evaluation" of its retail presence. Computer Retail Week has the story.

Apparently all Computer City store managers were contacted by headquarters and told to ship all boxed Macs back to home base, where we assume they will be returned to Apple's distributors for sale elsewhere, such as at CompUSA, whose recent Apple salon store initiative has been such a success. Apple's requiring far more support, dedication, and commitment from its retailers, and those who refuse to comply are dropped. (Given that their nonexistent efforts usually sold so few Macs anyway, these retailers are likely just as happy to leave the Mac space.)

Next on the chopping block? Sears and Circuit City, if reports are accurate. Can Apple's spin doctors get the word out that it's the dumper and not the dumpee? Or will this exodus from the unfriendly retail chains just bolster the common public opinion that Apple's on its last legs? Stay tuned...

Buckle up tight, because there's another Steve Jobs public announcement scheduled for next week. Details are very hush-hush right now, and in fact even the date of the event is questionable; most reports have it down for Monday, while Mac OS Rumors states that it may actually be on Tuesday or later instead.

As for the topic of this "State of the Apple" address, rumors differ wildly. Remember all the speculation flying around before the November 10th announcement? That's sort of what we're experiencing now, though on a baby-scale. The Rumors folks have the tamest list of topics: faster Powermacs, why Apple's severing relationships with many retailers, and possibly discussions about the Mac NC and Rhapsody. However, they do state clearly that the security surrounding this announcement is formidable, which of course lets sites like Apple Recon draw their own conclusions...

Recon's take on things is that this announcement will reveal the "huge news" that never materialized in the last announcement. First they hinted that Steve might be publicly announcing his intention to take the CEO position full-time, which, while a nice fantasy, is only a fantasy, as far as AtAT is concerned, despite Larry "Blabbermouth" Ellison's recent comments of "I think he'll take it." (If it really does happen, we'll be pleasantly surprised.) But their more recent speculation is that Apple and Oracle will announce a merger/takeover. Skeptical? We are. We've heard it all before, so it's hard to get excited... but life with Apple is never dull, so expect something interesting to come out of next week's event.

And in this episode of "Redmond Justice," Microsoft files a 51-page brief appealing the harsh treatment of Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson, who, they claim, overstepped his authority when he issued a preliminary injunction requiring the software company to stop forcing its systems vendors to ship Internet Explorer with every Windows 95 system. The Seattle Times has a few of the icky legal details.

"Is this a rerun," you ask quizzically, as your reach for your TV Guide? Why, no-- you're just witnessing the glacial speed of the court system in action. Two full weeks ago we told you that the panel for the appeal had been selected, but arguments in the appeal aren't scheduled to start for another three months. In the meantime, both Microsoft and the Department of Justice will be filing briefs, and working on Microsoft's other appeal-- it still wants Lessig removed as a special master.

"The slow hand of justice draws inexorably closer..." C'mon, be patient; justice is slow but sure. Remember how long the O.J. trial took? Er... bad example...