Finally, a reason not to hate Mondays! Or, at least, a reason not to hate one particular Monday-- that Monday being January 7th, 2002. For as faithful viewer akuma informs us, according to an Apple/IDG press release that just made the rounds this morning, that hallowed date has officially been designated as Stevenote Day. Yes, come nine o'clock that January morn, His Steveness will once again address the Mac faithful and show us wondrous things that will free our minds even as they lighten our wallets. Mark your calendars and prepare to go deep into debt.

We know what you're thinking: what's with the move to Monday morning? The keynote has always been on the first day of the Expo itself, which, this time around, falls on Tuesday the 8th. We're positive this keynote originally had a Tuesday time slot, and the Expo site plainly refers to the new schedule as an "Important Date Change," so we weren't imagining things. Indeed, we wouldn't be surprised to hear that some of you who planned to fly in Monday night are going to have to incur hefty fees to change your travel plans in order to catch the keynote now. (Our hearts go out to you-- or they would, if we weren't stuck on the other coast during the festivities and resigned to renting a cozy little apartment in Webcastville.)

So does Steve just have a chemical peel scheduled for Tuesday morning that he simply can't cancel, or is there something more to this unusual bit of calendar shuffling? We can't help thinking that this might have been a logistical decision prompted by Steve's love of surprises. Usually Apple has to enact some pretty elaborate security measures while setting up its Expo booths, because the new gear has to remain secret under pain of death until Steve spills the beans during the keynote. But now that the keynote is taking place a full day before the show floor opens, Apple can keep everything safely under wraps until Steve makes his announcements, and then set up its booths without worrying about black-clad rumormongers with spy cameras and rappelling equipment sneaking in and scooping the intro. Smart, huh?

Note that "this is the first time in the 18-year history of Macworld Conference & Expo that the Keynote will take place the day before the exhibit floor opens." That might simply mean that the security benefits of such a move just never occurred to Apple before now-- but it might also mean that Apple has so much earth-shatteringly cool stuff to unveil this time around it can't possibly hope to keep it all from prying eyes without moving the keynote a day earlier. (The fact that the keynote is suddenly an hour longer than before may be a clue, too.) Whether or not you think this sudden date change hints at a keynote overflowing with LCD iMacs, G5 Power Macs, Apple-branded handhelds, and a Disney buyout or two, "Apple and IDG World Expo promises it will be well worth attending." C'mon, what more assurance could you possibly need?