You know, there are a lot of plot threads we regret missing during those eleven weeks we were held captive by the Mole People and forced to dance for their amusement, but probably the one we most wish we had been around to cover was Apple's revised reseller contract. Again, we were too preoccupied with tapping to "The Good Ship Lollipop" while primitive shock prods jabbed us in the knees (those molefolk aren't exactly a lanky people) to get all the details, but as far as we can tell, back in March Apple slapped a new contract in front of its dealers and told them to sign it; this contract reportedly met with a fair amount of resistance from resellers, since it limited Apple's liability in case of disagreements and specifically nullified dealers' right to a jury trial in case they ever wanted to take Apple to court-- and the new terms apparently were to apply retroactively to any past disagreements.

But that's not all; we're also told that the new contract granted Apple the right to demand copies of all sorts of resellers' business data, such as sales numbers and inventory lists, and would allow Apple representatives to inspect the premises of any reseller, unannounced, at any time during normal business hours. The terms of the contract were said to last for five years-- after the expiration of the contract itself, meaning that if you cease to be an Apple reseller four years after signing this contract, a year after that Steve Jobs can still pop in and drink all your root beer.

We also hear that the contract required all resellers to wear sailor suits during business hours and greet customers in person, over the phone, and in email with the phrase "Ahoy Ye Matey," although we're a little less sure about that one.

Whatever the exact details of the contract, dozens of resellers refused to sign, and a slew of them were deauthorized by Apple in April. Among the departing were Dell (can't you just see Apple dropping in to inspect Dell's facilities?) and Target, both of whom sold iPods. But lately we've been receiving a spate of reports from Target employees who claim to have spotted new iPods and promotional materials showing up in stores, and now MacMinute confirms that, just three months after it bailed and cleared out all its stock, Target is back in the iPod biz. (MacMinute also notes that Dell had re-signed at some point, too, though after a quick check we weren't able to find any iPods in Dell's sticky morass of a web site. That doesn't necessarily mean they aren't there, though.)

So there you have it: Target is once again a place you can go to score an iPod-- 10 GB models in stores, all three available from its web site. And that's especially handy if you're already out shopping for any of the zillion other items that Target sells, such as sailor suits and Mole People repellent.