Okay, we admit it; irrepressible optimists that we are, we were actually still clinging to the thinnest sliver of hope that this week's Macworld CreativePro conference might not be just a mere desiccated shell of Expos past. In particular, we were harboring this fantasy wherein tomorrow's Feature Presentation would be hijacked at the last second by Steve Jobs himself (hey, he wrested a keynote back from Phil Schiller in 1998, remember?), who would then proceed to announce immediate Power Mac G5 availability, new 15-inch PowerBooks, drastically cheaper aluminum-framed displays, a $299 entry-level G4 Cube that can be connected to any ol' monitor on the planet, immediate availability of Panther (including a $129 copy for Intel iron), a new Newton-based smartphone, a merger with Disney, a tactical nuclear strike on Dell's headquarters, and the imminent subjugation of the entire human race to his superior alien intellect and technology. (We originally had a thing in there about a market share increase, too, but we thought we should keep it at least slightly realistic.)

Now, though, we're just not holding our breath. At previous Expos, Apple's booth has typically been put together under an impenetrable veil of secrecy: big black curtains; armed guards; snipers in the rafters; teamsters being fed to large, starving tigers to guarantee their silence-- basically, a security plan so hearty it's the soup you can eat with a fork. But not this year, Gladys; Think Secret reports that Apple's booth, which isn't even officially open to floor traffic until tomorrow, is already "wide open." Nothing is hidden because, presumably, there's nothing to hide, and Greg Joswiak's semi-keynote will proceed as planned-- with nothing new to show us whatsoever.

Then again, while it seems pretty darn unlikely that Greg will introduce any hot new products when he tries to fill Steve's really big shoes tomorrow, let's look at the bright side: he ought to have access to at least some interesting stuff that wasn't around for Steve's WWDC keynote. For example, we wouldn't be surprised if he presented some G5 preorder numbers, iSight sales figures, and maybe even a G5 TV ad or two ready to hit the airwaves. (Indeed, some people claim one has already surfaced-- thanks to faithful viewer Sledgehammer Smythe for the heads up.) Which is all good stuff. So as long as you keep your expectations at a reasonable level given the uncharacteristically light security at Apple's booth, we're sure Greg's presentation will entertain and enlighten.

Unless, of course, that's just what they want you to think. Maybe the utter lack of secrecy is all part of the surprise, and Apple plans to have black-clad soldier-types rappelling down from the ceiling to stock the booth with all the newly-announced goodies as soon as they get the go-ahead over their headsets from the Apple operatives watching the keynote unfold. In fact, now we find ourselves wondering if the entire presentation will plod along as announced in a pleasantly bland fashion... until Greg says "one more thing" and rips off his mask, revealing Steve in all his glory-- who then announces all that stuff we mentioned above and proclaims that everyone in attendance will be receiving a free Porsche filled with diamonds and supermodels. Why, it's just too perfect not to happen!