Whoa, rein in the hounds! Based on an article posted last week at MacWEEK, it looked like Apple Europe had entered some kind of dire financial straits, as it was reportedly reversing a decision announced only a couple of months prior to sponsor four large expos in various European countries. The way the article was worded, Apple Germany had instead switched gears and opted not to attend any more shows for the rest of 1999. To us, such a decision just smacks of insolvency, or maybe just slack. But apparently something got lost in the translation, because now it seems that three of the four proposed shows are still a go.

According to a new article, Apple Europe as a whole still plans to attend various trade shows, including the three big ones formerly announced to be taking place in France, Italy, and England. Apple Germany's announcement applies to Apple Germany alone, and Apple Europe spokesman George Albrecht claims that "to his knowledge," the no-more-shows-in-1999 move only applies to "German-speaking countries." As to why Apple Germany has decided to sit out the festivities, well, who knows? It could be a money thing, or perhaps the market atmosphere is just not ready for Apple expos right now. Or maybe Germany has a really good line-up this TV season and the Apple Germany execs don't want to miss anything.

And as for any connection between EuroApple shutting down shows and the infamously lukewarm response received by EuroDisney when it opened a few years ago, well, you should probably draw your own conclusions-- or none at all. Trying to add evidence to the theory of strong behind-the-scenes ties between Disney and Apple in this manner is more than just a little dangerous to maintaining a healthy and balanced overall world view, and therefore such an exercise is recommended only for the most seasoned of conspiracy theorists. If you'd care to attempt it, though, here's a hint; just about anybody can skulk around Disney World while enjoying the total anonymity afforded by those big all-encompassing Mickey suits-- even someone emitting an abnormally high level of Reality Distortion waves. Think about that when you're trying to sleep tonight...