Wow, sometimes you just have to wonder how some people get to be CEOs. In particular, we're wondering about John McFarlane, the bigwig at a small company called Sonos Inc., who did something that sounds to us, at least, like the corporate strategy equivalent of setting fire to one's own limbs and then jumping into a running tree shredder: it's hard to imagine coming through it unscathed, and if you do get out of it alive, you wind up wondering what you could possibly have expected to gain from such a move in the first place.

First, a little background: you are, of course, familiar with AirPort Express, the $129 mobile wireless access point that can interface directly with iTunes 4.6 and stream its music straight to any stereo or set of speakers plugged into it, a feature that Apple has dubbed AirTunes. You're probably also aware that the biggest logistical hurdle with AirTunes right now is that people still need to walk over to their computers to change what music they're playing in iTunes. Well, it was on the same day as the AirTunes announcement that faithful viewer Michael forwarded us a link to the Sonos Digital Music System, which was also introduced on Monday and which also streams digital music wirelessly from a personal computer to one or more receivers connected to speakers throughout the house-- except that it comes with the one thing that AirTunes probably needs more than anything else: a remote control.

And here's where we wander into "What Was He Thinking?" territory: faithful viewer Ryan McLean tipped us off to a Wall Street Journal article which reports that Sonos chief McFarlane just happened to be at D: All Things Digital this week, where Steve Jobs was making his annual appearance. McFarlane apparently decided that it'd be a really great idea to demo his own company's home wireless music streaming system to Steve-- within days, if not mere hours, of Steve having announced Apple's own competing product.

(Before we go any further, just so you don't get all stressed out about Sonos being a potential "AirTunes killer" product, the receiver costs $499 and the remote costs $399. 'Nuff said.)

Now, granted, we're speaking with benefit of hindsight, here, but we just can't imagine what McFarlane hoped to accomplish from such a move-- and the end result was nothing if not entirely predictable: reportedly after handling the Sonos remote control, Steve "said he believed the product might violate Apple patents related to the design of the iPod" and shuffled off to "figure out if he can sue." Ouch. But seriously, even if Sonos hadn't introduced an arguably sexier competing product (that's not just any remote control; it has a full-color screen, shows album art and upcoming songs, etc.) on the same day that Apple had launched AirPort Express, Steve would probably be phoning the lawyers. C'mon, look at this thing-- we'd swear that scroll wheel was Photoshopped into place right from a bona fide iPod photo.

Which isn't to say that even if there weren't a potential patent infringement suit in the cards, McFarlane hadn't still made a bafflingly poor move walking up to Steve and saying "hey look, we just released something that makes AirPort Express look like a Blue Light Special." Heck, if Steve couldn't find grounds upon which to sue, he'd probably have had a couple of goons kneecap McFarlane in the parking lot. But you live and learn, we suppose. Assuming you live.