It's been almost a week, but as a rule, Mac users are a tenacious lot-- and so the quest for meaning continues, as shell-shocked keynote viewers keep searching for an explanation for Steve's uncharacteristically empty bag of tricks last week. Theories vary widely from "Motorola believes gigahertz to be the mark of the beast" to "Microsoft is drugging Cupertino's water supply" to "Apple employees are holding Steve's jet hostage and demanding saner working hours." While regular AtAT viewers should have known better than to expect LCD iMacs, "Son of Pismo" iBooks, updated PowerBooks, or gigahertz Power Macs in all-new enclosures at last week's gig, we fully understand that plenty of Mac fans are looking for some sort of closure.

Well, on the LCD iMac front, at least, faithful viewer the M@d H@tter pointed out one possible explanation why that long-awaited product is late-- or, rather, "late," since it's tough to miss a ship date when none exists. It seems that a Mac OS Rumors reader dug up a potentially telling job opening over at Apple: the mothership is evidently looking for a "Project Design Lead" to spearhead a "mechanical development effort for Apple's next-generation All-in-One products." Is it possible that we're not all currently gushing over new flat-screen iMacs simply because the former project lead had one of those life-altering epiphanies and decided he'd be happier weaving baskets than shaping the next consumer computing phenomenon?

This job opening doesn't necessarily mean a thing; it's entirely possible that these "next-generation All-in-One products" mentioned in the job description aren't iMacs at all, but something else entirely, like some kind of miracle kitchen appliance that chops, shreds, and grates while also making beautiful Julienne potatoes. However, if you're looking for a simple explanation as to why the LCD iMacs aren't done yet, just chalk it up to an unfortunate instance of personnel churn and move on with your life. Trust us, this is an easy way out.

By the way, if you're a mechanical engineer with ten to twelve years' experience and you think you'd like to help create the next iMac, why not apply? After all, you're an AtAT viewer, so you clearly possess vast stores of personal taste. Now all you need is mastery in "mechanisms, materials, heat transfer, SPC, injection molding and metal part design," plus the requisite "grace under pressure"-- which we assume translates into the ability to withstand constant professional scrutiny by His Steveness without bursting into tears or sticking your head in the nearest oven. Gee, does anyone know if this job was vacant before Steve had to address the teeming throngs of Mac users without a new iMac design to unveil? Hmmm... Where do we send condolences to the last employee's family?