See? We told you that a healthy dose of pessimism can bring you a happier, healthier life. Ever since we first took the Mac OS X public beta out for a test drive, we've been 100% dead certain that there was absolutely zero chance that the 1.0 release would be ready in time for next month's Macworld Expo. In fact, given the beta's lack of what Steve himself lovingly refers to as "fit and finish" (and taking into account the sheer complexity of what Apple's trying to accomplish), we figured that a Mac OS X release anytime before May of 2001 was a mythical beast best lumped together with flying pigs and the Easter Bunny.

Which means, of course, that while all the doe-eyed optimists out there are crying into their beer about the latest leaked Mac OS X release date, the AtAT staff is pleasantly surprised that Apple may actually get the product out the door that early. As faithful viewer Jeremy Albert kindly pointed out, ZDNet claims that Apple plans to pull the covers off of a shiny 1.0 version of Mac OS X not at the Expo itself, but rather at a "special event" some six weeks later. Reportedly the magic date is February 24th, so mark those calendars, people.

Actually, we should mention that our natural pessimism is still in high gear. We're not totally sure that we trust ZDNet's sources on the February 24th date, since it just happens to fall on a Saturday. While that's not necessarily a deal-killer, we're slightly skeptical that Apple would usher in the future of the Mac platform (and its best chance of getting back into the good graces of both the media and Wall Street) at a "special event" on a non-weekday. Then again, the iMac first shipped on a Saturday, so maybe it's possible... but by that point, the iMac had already had its share of high-publicity media events. And none of them took place on a weekend.

Still, until we hear otherwise from Apple, we're tentatively reserving February 24th as "X Day." And for those of you who went into hock to attend next month's festivities assuming that you'd be present at the dawn of a new Mac Era, hey, don't sweat it-- at least you'll be able to tell your grandkids that you were actually there live and in person when Steve Jobs officially announced the Mac OS X release date! So smile! (C'mon, we gotta give the optimists a silver lining to play with, right?)