No smoke without fire, so when, as we did yesterday, you get calls from brokers’ analysts from two firms asking if there is anything in the gossip that Micro Business Systems Plc was weighing up a bid for Apricot Computers Plc, you have to assume that there is something in it: MBS shares have been lively of late on expectations that the company was about to make a major acquisition (CI No 713), but why the company should want to get involved in manufacturing, and tie its distribution channels down to an own brand escapes us; Apricot is itself of course seeking to acquire Wordplex Information Systems.