We apologize; it's been a while since we've had any really sleazy soap-operatic stuff show up on AtAT. To be honest, Apple just hasn't really been playing very dirty lately-- they seem to be doing just fine by building compelling products and keeping them on the shelves the best they can. That doesn't mean, of course, that the faintest whisper of possible slimy activity on Apple's part doesn't send us scurrying like roaches for the pot roast. Take, for example, the rumors of dirty play that surfaced in Robert X. Cringely's most recent column, forwarded to us by ever-watchful faithful AtAT viewer Peachawat.

If the dirt that Cringely's dishing is correct, then Apple's playing less than fair with its longtime buddy Adobe. Adobe, as you may be aware, is busy putting the finishing touches on K2, its next-generation page layout software that is being positioned as a big-league competitor to the biggest name in the game-- Quark XPress. And where better to take the wraps off of K2 than at Seybold, the biggest trade show in the publishing business? In fact, K2 is such big news that its unveiling clinched the keynote slot for Adobe's chief exec John Warnock. Unfortunately, it seems that Steve Jobs isn't satisfied with keynoting every Macworld Expo under the sun, plus a handful of smaller and/or lesser-known gigs like today's CAUSE98 education conference-- he reportedly has his sights locked squarely on the Seybold slot, too.

So Apple's reportedly been trying to bump Warnock from the program by calling successively more powerful bigwigs in the Seybold pecking order. Unfortunately for Steve, no one's biting-- Warnock retained the keynote position no matter how many higher-ups Apple called. This is where things get seriously Dynasty: according to Cringely, at this point, Apple even told Seybold officials that John Warnock was "fine" with having his keynote bumped to Day 2, so that Steve could claim the top spot. Unfortunately, the Seyboldites weren't taken in quite that easily-- they checked with Warnock, who knew nothing about any such arrangement with Apple. D'oh! Nice try, though. Perhaps they could slip Warnock a mickey on the night before the big event, and Steve could swoop in and save the day while John is snoozing the Sleep of the Just back at the hotel? Just a thought.