Wow, we had the strangest dream last night... We were sitting in the middle of this big, open field watching "America's Funniest Microsoft Trial Videos" on TV when a little bird sent email to our iBook. And that bird claimed to have all sorts of privileged info about what was going on inside the walls at One Infinite Loop-- including what surprises Steve has up his sleeve for the big Macworld Expo keynote coming up in a few weeks. It all seemed so real, we felt we just had to share these insights with you just in case it wasn't so much a dream as it was a premonition. (Is this goofy premise just a thinly-veiled attempt to protect a real inside source with what may be true and startling information? Hey, that's for you to decide-- we just work here.)

Anyway, here's what that little bird told us: Yes, the "Pismo" PowerBook will be unveiled, with availability set for a couple of months later. Yes, the entire Power Mac G4 line will be speed-bumped, at least back to where it was before the Great Megahertz Theft of 1999, and possibly higher. But most interestingly of all, Apple Computer will be changing its name-- to Apple. Just Apple. Whether you're a Freudian or a Jungian, it's not hard to interpret what that would mean; Apple plans to formalize its diversification, 'cause the Apple logo ain't just for Macs anymore. Our dream was deliciously vague on details, but think QuickTime. Think Internet and "My Apple." And think about a collaboration with a huge graphics company and what that might entail. Unfortunately, just before we could read more about it, our iBook turned into a flaming giraffe and wandered off in search of an iced tea.

Sadly, the dream ended with nary a mention of any Apple-Palm device, so even our collective subconscious has apparently given up hope on that one. This whole vision ended with us suddenly sitting naked in a high school classroom staring at the final exam for a math class we'd never attended as all of our teeth started falling out, but that's just par for the course. But the question remains: was it just a dream, or is Steve's keynote going to seem strangely familiar as it takes place onstage at the Moscone Center? (If he brings out a flaming giraffe, we're setting up our own psychic hotline.)