Today, Apple’s dropped the “computer” from their name. They’re now known officially as Apple, Inc.

Also, they’ve announced the much-anticipated iPhone (to be released in June).

And, finally, they’ve announced Apple TV, formerly known as iTV.

Oh, and they’ve revamped their entire website. It’s mostly in black, but methinks that they did a half-job with it.

Now, for my piece.

Apple has done alot within the 10 years since Steve Jobs was brought back to the company. They went for a brand new operating system and a brand new microprocessor architecture. They’ve also jumped into the media business feet-first, and have made quite a splash into the telephone industry as of today.

So I wonder: does this most recent keynote denote a move away from the Macintosh line of computers?

OK, that’s a bit far-fetched, and flamebaiting.

But look again at what Apple has done in the second Steve Jobs period, and the side-effects of these actions.

1. They moved from PowerPC to Intel, with full knowledge of the possibility of Mac OS X being reverse-engineered by so-called “hackers” to run it on other, non-Apple computers which share the exact same hardware architecture.
2. Numerous users on public forums have expressed their desire to use Mac OS X without paying the premium for the hardware.
3. Apple is no longer just a computer company, as noted by the aforementioned name change.
4. Apple, as of today, is competing directly with Microsoft (and Sony) in the home entertainment hardware department: Apple TV vs. Xbox 360, iPod vs. Zune (btw, I’m certain that Steve Jobs, being the co-founder of Disney’s new animation department, has long held a foray into the media carriage industry as a goal for Apple.)

So, my theory is that

1. Apple will recognize a market which only the operating system, sans the hardware, can appeal to.
2. Apple will gradually license Mac OS X to other computer companies.
3. They will, just as gradually, phase out the Macintosh computer line before, at least, the end of the decade.

Simply put, Apple, in the most ironic twist in computer history, will become the new Microsoft, and vice versa.

Flame me now, please.

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In other news, Yahoo demoed its custom-made Messenger for Vista earlier this week at CES.