Still making worried little Homer Simpson noises as you ponder the fate of Apple's consumer portable? Once the shocking news leaked out that some folks at Apple had actually voted to dump the whole project because of continued development problems, suddenly the prospect of a P1 introduction at next month's Macworld Expo seemed dim. Or dimmer, at any rate. Still, the stage has been set and the gauntlet thrown down, as rumors indicate that Steve Jobs himself is taking a personal interest in making sure that he's got a demo-able P1 ready to trot out during his keynote address. A man on a mission, a race against time-- it's a perfect scenario for building dramatic tension.

The thing is, maybe it's a little too perfect. A MacBC article raises some interesting theories about this whole "will it be ready in time?" struggle. Apple, as you well know, is not above leaking false information when desirable... There's still some question as to whether or not last year's "Columbus" media frenzy ("It's a set-top box! It's a portable DVD player!") was the result of misinformation leaked intentionally by Apple to draw attention away from what Columbus really was-- the motherboard used in the super-secret iMac. So, by the same token, could the rumors just be an Apple plot to raise suspense about Jobs' keynote? Think about it; the question on everyone's lips will be "Will he or won't he?" The press turnout will be enormous. All eyes will be on the Javits Center. Sure beats a ho-hum "here's the product you all knew was coming," now, doesn't it? Ah, Jobs-- ever the showman.

Now, this could all be hogwash, of course, but it's an interesting possibility, and it may sound more likely when considered after reading the Register article on Alpha Top's loose lips. Alpha Top is the Taiwanese manufacturing firm who had been contracted by Apple to build the P1 once it goes into production, and Apple seems to have neglected to plug information leaks there. (Alpha Top's willingness to blab about the P1 implies that the company is run by a ragtag unit of Larry Ellison clones.) According to Alpha Top, the first shipment of P1s is expected in August. If that's true, we find it hard to believe that Apple would have a tough time producing a working prototype a mere month before. Interesting, no? We admit it-- our conspiracy radar must be a bit rusty not to have picked up on the whole misinformation possibility, so we are indebted to MacBC for cranking our paranoia up a notch.