You want another yet another indication of Apple's return to health? Then chew on this: Apple's just increased its number of wholesale distributors by a full 50%. How do ya like them Apples? Okay, so technically the increase consists of a move from two distributors to three, but hey, percentages are a spin-doctor's best friend. According to Apple's press release, Tech Data is back in the Apple family, joining Ingram Micro and Pinacor to form a new Mighty Mac Triumvirate. All shall bow and scrape before it; submit to the Triumvirate, before it destroys you all!

On the other hand, maybe it's not such a dramatic move after all, but Tech Data's return to the Apple fold does indicate that demand for Macs is strong and growing. According to a CNET article, adding a third distributor is a good sign not only of healthy demand for Apple's products, but also of Apple's increased production-- the ability to crank out enough Macs to keep all those distributors a-hoppin'. And there's a nice snowball effect, because one more distributor means one more place the retailers can tap to get stock; it used to be that if Pinacor and Ingram were both out of high-end PowerBooks, a retailer's shelves would just stay empty, but now Tech Data is a third place to try. More stock on retailer's shelves leads to more Mac sales. More Mac sales leads to a more prosperous Apple. A more prosperous Apple may lead to more Mac distributors. Neat, huh?

Lest you think that the Mighty Mac Triumvirate indicates an Apple at the peak of its strength, it's probably worth noting that Apple had five distributors way back before things got really scary and the company had to cut three of them loose. But the addition of Tech Data is still a great step forward, and if Apple's growth continues like this, we wouldn't be at all surprised if, in just a few short years, the number of wholesale Apple distributors rises to five or even higher. And if history's any indication, that's the point at which Steve Jobs will be ousted in a boardroom coup, Gil Amelio will be reinstated, and things will get really interesting again. It's a universal rule, folks; change begets drama, and Apple is never without drama.