TIME Magazine has included Apple CEO and Mac cult leader Steve Jobs in its list of 2008’s top 100 most influential people. The list is compiled of names submitted by guest contributors to TIME magazine, and includes such luminaries as the Dalai Lama, Barack Obama, Brad and Angelina Pitt-Jolie, Peter Gabriel (getting his nod from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, no less), Randy Pausch, and other luminaries in various fields.

With MacWorld comes all good things; okay, perhaps not the Macbook Air, or updates to the Apple’s wireless router, but know that good things spill forth from Cupertino in all arenas shortly after MacWorld.  For those of you who aren’t completely enamored with the new Macbook Air, rumor has it that the real Clydesdales of the Apple portable lineup, the Macbook Pros, are due to receive the bigger trackpad (and yummy features) of the Air and an updated processor.

Are you looking to typify the elitist, snobby Mac owner?  Did you just purchase your new Macbook Air and are looking for a great new case?  Here’s the epitome of in-your-face flashiness: though Jobs probably doesn’t recommend packing your new baby away in a real manila envelope for transportation, there is a legitimate carrying case lookalike being produced.

The company that was doing so swimmingly last year has seen a drop in stock prices, just as Steve Jobs announced these seemingly great products that would be joining the Apple lineup.  The future isn’t looking bright for 2008, but there might be a few saving graces for both Apple and the shareholders.

The MacBoook Air, the newest laptop to come out of Cupertino and it is probably the most arrogant laptop ever created.  It’s a feat of engineering to be sure but those who buy it are not getting a great deal, at all.  There will be those Apple faithful who just can’t do without, who must buy every little thing Apple puts out and bow down to the [Steve] Jobs.

Everyone knows that Apple is  Barack Obama of the technology world; the tech giant is fresh, hip, and a new twist on a stagnant industry.  Part of Apple’s direction in the limelight is adopting a definitely more eco-friendly stance.  Though going green tends to be more spendy for consumers on a day to day basis, Apple might be one of the only companies making it easy for consumers to help save the earth rather than save pennies in a decidedly tight economic climate.

For those of you who has no idea what is going on and calls yourself a Mac-head, shame on you; for the rest, you know that Steve made a bunch of big announcements today, two of which were a revamped launch of the Apple TV and the iTunes movie rental service.  Individually, the Apple TV struggled; with movie rentals, the Apple TV will be nothing short of on fire.

With MacWorld less than a few days away, the blogosphere is buzzing with all rumors galore about what might be debuting or getting revamped at MacWorld; however, with only a few days left, here are the 5 rumors that really should be put to rest so we can all stop discussing it until Jobs, bless his Steveness, speaks.

Not that this will come as a particularly big surprise, considering NBC’s harsh falling out with Apple recently, but Apple doesn’t want to go play in the sandbox with NBC and its bully friends AT&T, Microsoft, Sandisk and Phillips; those select few have united against filesharing in a sort of DRM alliance, but Apple won’t have any part in it.

Word on the street is "the new Mac Pro is the fastest Mac" ever built. Released along side a new Xserve today, these machines aren’t hip enough for the official Macworld keynote later this month, so the company announced them today.