Meanwhile, one of the other big announcements rumored to share the stage when Steve makes his keynote address is news of Apple's "corporate rebranding." AtAT first discussed Apple's supposed name change when a little bird told us the news a few weeks back; "Apple Computer, Inc." is dead-- long live "Apple." As for what such a change could imply, well, it could mean a lot of things. For one thing, it may herald a diversification of Apple's business model, especially amidst these cloudy rumors of "MyApple.com" and this mysterious Internet strategy Steve's supposed to reveal. More than likely, though, it's just a marketing tweak to downplay Apple's identity as a computer manufacturer and strengthen its reputation as a phenomenon, a lifestyle, a name rather than a company.

Think about it; what are the two companies Steve is constantly mentioning when he discusses Apple's long-term goals? Sony and Nike. That's a very interesting pair of companies, because they're both pervasive in the broader fields in which they play. Nike isn't "just a shoe company" and Sony doesn't "just make stereos." There's an impression that each is bigger than being a corporation and instead has a real identity that's timeless and omnipresent. So is it a surprise that Apple's going for the same kind of recognition? Steve and the boys already have a head start, after all, given Apple's history and reputation as the individualist in an industry of clones.

For details on this so-called rebranding, check out AppleInsider; in addition to ordering all-new stationery and business cards (ooooooo!), Apple's reportedly settled on five new "gem" versions of its logo in "Apple Corporate Colors", which appear translucent and embossed: "we've taken the same standards of style and innovation that make our products and our design unmistakable and applied them to the company logo," claims the company's "Interim Corporate Identity Guidelines Sheet for Resellers." Hmmm. Somehow we're hoping for more than that from this rebranding, because if Apple's only standards of "style and innovation" in the computer industry involve making something brightly-colored and translucent, we're all in for a world of hurt. But we're willing to wait and see what Steve has to say on Wednesday.