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The announcement went out on April 1: Apple Computers and EMI Group had scheduled a press conference for April 2 and the announcement was going to be "historic." It was April 1, after all, and there had been rumors swirling about for months that Apple Computers and Apple Corp. had settled their trademark differences as a first step to a bigger display of collaboration. I forwarded the announcement to Jon Iverson under the heading "April Fool's Joke or Genuine Press Release?"

With buds and 'phones in hand, headphone enthusiasts from around the US and beyond are about to plug in in San Jose, California. Their destination is the Radisson Hotel, where the Second Annual International Head-Fi Meet takes place on April 21 and 22. Organized by Head-Fihttp://www.head-fi.org">Head-Fi;, an online discussion board boasting 53,907 members and a whopping 2,810,005 posts annually, the meet promises two very full days of interactive panels, DIY demos, and vendor exhibits.

Exhibitors at Home Entertainment 2007), the High Performance Sound & Imaging Show, are gearing up for one of the most important international events of the year! HE 2007 will take place May 11–13, 2007 at the Grand Hyatt New York, conveniently located in Grand Central Station in New York City. This historic centrally located venue will provide the perfect setting to showcase the latest in home audio/video entertainment products, and this year's event marks the show's seventh visit to the Big Apple.

In a move some industry analysts characterized as "an uncertain experiment that could backfire," Circuit City Stores, Inc, the nation's second-largest electronics retailer, laid off 3400 employees, about 8% of the company's workforce, on March 28 because they earned too much money. Company spokesperson Bill Cimino told Bloomberg.com that the jobs that were eliminated were paying "well above" market rates, adding that the fired employees can re-apply for their jobs at lower pay after a 10-week delay. Cimino declined to give the wages of either the fired employees or the wages being given to new hires. He said it would vary "depending on the market."

On a recent tour of Manhattan, Aperion Audio's Win Jeanfreau and Lorraine Janeway took some time to lunch with Stereophile's Stephen Mejias, Robert J. Reina, and me. Reina had just reviewed the $750/pair Aperion Intimus 533-T loudspeakers in the April Stereophile, so we assumed that would be the main topic of conversation. As far as Jeanfreau and Janeway were concerned, however, that was ancient history. They were excited about more recent developments and future plans.

Canada has targeted your iPod and hard drive. On March 7, CBC Records, the record label of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, announced a deal with the Independent Online Distribution Alliance (IODAhttp://www.iodalliance.com">IODA;) that will make CBC's entire catalog of 400 active and archival classical, jazz, world, and rock titles available for download. The announcement comes just six weeks after major independent label and distributor Harmonia Mundi declared that it would follow">http://www.stereophile.com/news/012907harm/">follow the same route.

Amelia S. Haygood, the sound-conscious founder and president of record company Delos International, died on March 19 at the age of 87 after a 12-year battle with cancer. Survivors include pianist Carol Rosenberger, her closest friend and Delos vice president, artists and repertoire; Robert Haygood, her stepson; several nephews and nieces; and her extended family at the pioneering classical label she founded in 1973.